What Will Happen with the Schools In Gali District?

On November 27, teachers from several Georgian schools in the Gali District went on a strike. They demanded salaries according to their working hours and allowances from the Georgian government. On November 28, teachers (nearly fifty people) of all schools in the district, held demonstration near the river Enguri Bridge, in the village of Orsantia. The teachers said that the legal government of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic does not pay attention to them.

"They remember us when they want to gain some political points," said Bela Khufenia, teacher of the secondary school #1 in the village of Otobaia. In the name of 300 pupils and their parents, she categorically demanded, "to investigate how much money had been apportioned on the teachers in the district. We doubt that that sum was wasted unreasonably. We demand additional funds in the district schools."

Manager of the secondary school in the village of Fichori, Nazi Janjulia, said: "These people are right demanding money; representatives of every school in the area attend this demonstration and they can confirm the difficulties we are facing working in the district. We are teaching Georgian language in the schools surrounded with tanks and empty villages. We are growing young generation with the spirit of Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, and Vazha Pshavela. We have not forgotten Georgian language; however, we are forgotten!"

"Our government forgot that we are human beings too. Several schools were funded until 2001, but the school in the village of Fichori has not been funded since 1998. We received an allowance once in 2005 and that was all. Nobody has congratulated us with the teacher's day. Nobody admits what respect we deserve. They even doubt that we do not teach pupils in Georgian. Why has nobody checked the journals of our schools? We demand allowances and salaries according to our working hours."

Dali Toloraia, teacher of the secondary school # 2 in the village of Otobaia, told us whom they have applied for help. "We have applied to every governmental body and the Catholicos- Patriarch of Georgia, his Holiness Ilia II too.  There was no result. They promised to finance us in September, then next year, but they have deceived us. We met Samadashvili, deputy Minister of Education last year. We demanded schools repaired, trainings, to supply us with methodical literature and to give salaries to teachers. As you see they have done nothing. We blame the Georgian Ministry of Education, Abkhazian Ministry of Education who have ignored all our problems. We wonder if we really deserve salaries, and if we do, why they do not give us them."

In future, if their demands are not satisfied the teachers will cease studies at schools. "We do not appreciate what we are doing now, but we were forced to hold demonstrations to inform the whole country about the situation we are working in. If they do not solve the problem, we might close the schools. We can not work without salaries. Parents of our pupils used to gather some money and give us, but now they also hardly get on and we can not let them pay us any longer," said demonstrators.

Teachers categorically refuse to get finances from the Abkhazian self-proclaimed government. "If we agree, all schools will become Russian. We cannot let them it," said Lia Ratia, teacher from the school in the village of Nabakevi.

The demonstration started at 10:00 am and lasted for one hour. Nobody met them from the government. However, the demonstration was witnessed by the officials from the Constitutional Security Department of the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic and they took photos as well. Moreover, the head of the department, Gia Baramia phoned the teachers, village councilors and categorically prohibited them to hold demonstrations. Councilor of the village of Otobaia, Dali Khalvashi, was also warned on phone. [Famous neuron-surgeon Napo Meskhia] asked her not to hold demonstration on November 28. Khalvashi considered teachers' demands fair and joined their demonstration.

Bato Berulava, Zugdidi