On May 4, 2015, the Special Committee reviewing cases of persons employed in Education System of Georgia and dismissed on political grounds presented a report on its two-year work.

The competences of the committee included studying and assessing issues of dismissal of workers of public schools and educational resource centres from work on political grounds in the period starting prior to establishment of the committee on January 1, 2006 to January 14, 2013, and elaboration of recommendations for the minister in the framework of their competences.

The Public Defender’s Office was actively involved in the work of the committee. While making a speech at the presentation of the report, First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia Paata Beltadze emphasized importance of the committee in the process of restoration of justice and infringed human rights.

“I would like to note that work of the committee has been historic and unprecedented. We, also, need to stress a circumstance that the committee was guided by international human rights standards and decisions were made on the basis of a consensus. I believe that practice used by the committee should be maximally taken into account in order to prevent systemic persecution of individuals on the basis of their political affiliation in the future,” – said Paata Beltadze.

Based on consideration, examination and analyzing of applications received from across Georgia by the committee, various systemic problems existing in the education system have been revealed, namely: facts of dismissal of certain individuals from work on political grounds; pressure exercised by representatives of local self-governing bodies and various agencies on headpersons of public schools for the purpose of their leaving their positions; pressure on public school headpersons because of their political views or/and for the purpose of achieving dismissal of politically unsafe teachers from employment;

On the basis of recommendations issued by the committee, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia have already reinstated 20 individuals who had been dismissed illegally from schools on political grounds, to their positions.