Georgia is Seeking Estonian Experience in Education and EU Integration
Summary
Strengthening democracy and improving education are priorities of Estonia’s bilateral cooperation with Georgia, and last week the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) hosted H.E. Ambassador Archil Karaulashvili to discuss just this.
According to Ambassador Karaulashvili, preparing Georgia for European Union integration will be the next major theme as the Estonian-Georgian partnership moves forward.
During their educational partnership, Estonia has assisted Georgia in updating its national curricula, training teachers, and advancing vocational education.
“Our cooperation in education has been a real success story,” commented Anna Silem, Project Manager at ESTDEV. “This began as a small scale cooperation between schools, and now Estonia is advising the Georgian Ministry of Education on ways to improve the equality and effectiveness of general education in Georgia. This is largely thanks to the trust and strong working relationships we have built over the years.”
Estonian NGOs, public, and private entities are also keen to kick off new projects in Georgia, a desire clearly seen in the high number of project proposals submitted for ESTDEV’s grants for Georgian development initiatives.
“We will continue to do our part for Georgia as they reform their education sector and introduce e-education solutions into the Georgian school system. Supporting Georgia on their EU journey is definitely one of the key areas of our future cooperation,” said Eva-Maria Liimets, ESTDEV´s Head of Strategy for Eastern Partnership countries.
Georgia has been Estonia’s strategic development partner for over 15 years. “We are proud to say that we have contributed a lot to Georgian development. Our Estonian development models have been adopted and transformed, becoming Georgian models. Estonian expertise is highly valued, and we are warmly welcomed as trusted partners in Georgia,” commented Riina Kaljurand, Estonian Ambassador to Georgia.
Since 2000, Estonia has supported Georgian development with investments of 14 million euros, carrying out over 400 projects in partnership with Estonian public, private, and NGO/SCO organisations.
Currently, ESTDEV is financing seven projects in Georgia, implemented by Cognuse OÜ, the Estonian School of Diplomacy, MTÜ Eesti Maaturism, Tartu Centre for Creative Industries and Tallinn University of Technology.
Related articles
