Human Rights Center requests dismissal of the director and the teacher from the Tbilisi Public School # 67

Human Rights Center addresses the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Aleksandre Jejelava to take strict administrative measures and suspend professional activities of the director of the Tbilisi Public School # 67 and the teacher in the same school, who is the mentor of the disabled student.

Human Rights Center assists the mother of the disabled student with legal aid who requests adequate education for her son. Disabled senior student of the public school R.I has problems to study. At the same time, he is subject of systematic bullying from his class-mates that is encouraged by inactivity of the school director, class-mentor and other responsible persons. 

In accordance to the Article 33 Paragraph “g” of the Law of Georgia on General Education, the general educational institution is obliged to determine benefits for R.I in order to create necessary learning conditions for him. However, even basic rights of the disabled student are not respected that is safety of the student in the territory of the school.

The main problem is inactivity of the responsible persons. In December 2015, the Old Tbilisi District Unit # 1 of Police Department, based on the application of the disabled student’s parent I.Sh, warned the class mate of R.I to stop bullying against the disabled boy and obey the internal regulations of the school. Regardless that the bullying continued. 

From November 2015 until May 2016 the student did not attend classes at school because he could not stand intimidation and physical assault from class-mates.

In accordance to the Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the state shall take all necessary measures to ensure defense of the rights of disabled children so that they had equal access to the defense of human rights and basic freedoms. Article 9 Part 8 of the Law of Georgia on General Education states the pupils shall have the right to be protected from improper treatment, neglect and abuse. Article 20 of the same law obliges the school to immediately respond adequately as provided by the legislation of Georgia.  

Requirements of neither international nor national legislations are respected in relation with R.I because bullying against him was not combated by the responsible persons at the public school for the past 2 years. For that reason, R.I could not go to school during months and his right to education was breached.

The disabled student still refuses to go to school because of unbearable discrimination and physical assault.

Human Rights Center requests the Minister of Education to take strict administrative measures and suspend professional activities of the persons, who participate in psychological and physical abuse of the disabled student with their inactivity.

Human Rights Center