On 14 June 2019, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria held a public meeting, the theme of which was: “Inclusive Education: Achievements and Challenges”.

At the opening of the event, the Public Defender briefly discussed the challenges relating to the implementation of inclusive education. She talked about the lack of unified vision, multidisciplinary and individual approaches, introduction of effective mechanisms for protecting children from violence (including children with disabilities), importance of providing schools with appropriate infrastructure and human resources. It should be noted that measures should be taken to raise school staff and parents’ awareness of inclusive education and special educational needs of students. The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Irine Abuladze, also welcomed the participants of the meeting.

Lika Batsikadze, a representative of the Public Defender's Office, talked about the problematic issues identified during the monitoring carried out in the pilot public schools of Georgia. Ekaterine Dgebuadze, Head of the Inclusive Education Development Division of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, delivered a report on the process of implementation of inclusive education. Mari Korkotadze, a representative of the Families against Discrimination, spoke about special education and problems faced by children with disabilities and their parents, including the rules of remuneration of inclusive education specialists.

The public meeting was dedicated to the day of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, which has been observed in Georgia since 2003.

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