Educational Programs

One of the main programme sphere for Georgian NGOs is the projects on environment awareness and education. In conducting such activities they have cardinal support from numerous international organisations or programmes. There intensively functions in Georgia a third sector fund "Horizonti"; the programme (TEAP - TACIS Environmental Awareness Programme) was very important, it was financed by TACIS; numerous projects were financed in the sphere through support of "Open Society - Georgia" this support is aimed at future generations.

More is efficient efforts required in this direction especially for development environment protection awareness of the participants and private sector representatives.

It is being worked out now in the Ministry of Education the "Environment Protection Integrated Programme for teenagers and youth. A special textbook "Environment and Man" is ready for being published.

The WWF-Georgian representation has been implementing a wide scale ecological and educational programme since 1991 and the following measures were conducted within it:

• the basis was laid for a network of ecological educational regional centres (ecocentres): the ecocentres were built and now successful function in Kazbegi (1996), Bakuriani (1997) and Tbilisi (1999). - different annual ecological arrangements are being held: training of protected areas employees, teachers, meetings with the representatives of professional groups, students' practices, scientific seminars, symposia and so on. Next year it is planned to found an ecocentre in Telavi and then in Batumi;
  
  
• an ecological education centre was founded in the Institute of Teachers Training at the Ministry of Education (about 1000 teachers were trained);
  
  
• textbooks were prepared for higher education institutions and secondary schools, a new ecological information periodical "Environment and Development" was founded (22 issues have already been published), various scientific-popular materials were prepared and published (booklets, posters, leaflets);
  
  
• more then 50 ecological-educational programmes and video films were prepared and broadcasted on deferent channels of Georgian TV;
  
  
• pupils' summer ecocamp was restored and successfully functions in Atskuri (1996) where hundreds of schoolchildren arrive from different regions of Georgia to study and rest;
  
  
• a programme of small grants was implemented to support more than 30 new established NGOs in Georgia.

Though close co-operation with the Ministry of Education there is being formed a network of school ecological centres: school rooms have been equipped with commuters and furniture (in Kutaisi, Ambrolauri, Batumi, Telavi, Rustavi, Mtskheta, Akhaltsikhe and so on).

© UNEP/GRID-Tbilisi, 2000

1, M. Alexidze St. Tbilisi, 380093, GEORGIA

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Last Updated: 24/02/2000