The aging of Georgia’s teaching workforce and the shortage of young teachers remain major challenges for the education system. Avto Abdushelishvili, Director of Shavnabada Gymnasium, said motivated young professionals face significant barriers to entering public schools because staff turnover is extremely limited.
According to Abdushelishvili, many qualified young teachers struggle to find vacancies, as educators who have worked in schools for 30, 40 or even 50 years often remain in the system. He said positions are rarely freed up for new staff, making greater workforce rotation essential for the sector’s development.
Abdushelishvili also stressed that younger teachers are generally more adaptable to using modern technologies in the classroom. He recalled a government program that offered financial compensation to teachers of retirement age who voluntarily left the profession, saying it had some effect but failed to bring about significant systemic change.
The director noted that private schools employ significantly more young teachers than public schools, which he said is reflected in student outcomes. In PISA 2025, students at Georgia’s private schools scored an average of 464 points in mathematics, slightly above the OECD average of 463. Abdushelishvili said this demonstrates that Georgian students can achieve international-level results when provided with the right environment and resources.
