Private Schools Do Not Need Bailiffs

Salome Achba

This year the bailiff program is planned to be implemented in private and vocational schools after it was implemented in public schools. The parliament is going to discuss the initiative of the government together with the amendments to the Law on General Education.

Georgian governmental officials state that the Bailiff Program was so successful in Public Schools that it will be implemented in private and vocational schools too.

The representatives of the opposition parties and independent experts state these changes are one more step towards politicization of schools. “The situation is urgent in the education system; police control is getting stronger in the system like in other fields “,-stated Leven Berdzenishvili a member of “Republic Party “, who intends to make a presentation about this and other urgent problems in Georgia in the office “the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) “on January 27 in Washington.” Not That Much Pink Output: Georgia after Rose Revolution”

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Education clarified in her interview with humanrights.ge that the Bailiff Program will be implemented on voluntary-basis in private schools and bailiffs will enter those schools in case if the school administration applies to the Ministry of Education  with the corresponding request.

Directors of several private schools stated in their conversation with the “Human Rights Center” they do not need bailiffs in their institutions.

“Our school is against employing bailiffs. We do not need their service due to different educational method. Recently, our pupils have not had any conflicts or other problems. Walsdorf method is known worldwide and Walsdorf schools throughout the world never needed bailiffs. So, we are not going to be an exception in it,” said Nana Javashvili - the interim director of the Walsdorf Free School.

“Public and large schools really need bailiffs. As for private schools and particularly our school, we have 160 pupils and I do not see any necessity of employing bailiffs in it. You establish a private school when you are able to rule it yourself, take care of your school and ensure the safety of your pupils. We have our security system and I think every school should have it. But we do not need a bailiff who will control teachers and pupils alongside its general obligation to guarantee security in the school”, said the director of the Ioane Petritsi School “Iberia” Nino Zakareishvili

“We do not need bailiffs in our school, because the contingent of pupils is not large and basically we have primary and secondary school grades. However, if it is requested by the Ministry of Education, we will not oppose to introduce bailiffs in our school to though I cannot see it is necessary”, said director of Bakur Sulakauri School Marina Bedoshvili stated.

“I think it is necessary to have bailiffs in every school. Our school has its own staff, who ensure the security of pupils. They have been working here for many years and with their support conflicts have never occurred between our pupils. If they are going to introduce bailiffs in every private school, I would like our personnel to be trained in Bailiff program in order to enable them to continue working in our school”, suggested Mamuka Meskhishvili, the director of Georgian-American School.

Naturally, there are questions which are not answered yet. If schools do not need bailiffs, why amendments are introduced to the Law on General Education. Maybe, the alliance of the MIA and the Ministry of Education need their spies in private schools too, who will control not only pupils but teachers too.