DISPLEASURE OVER END OF GEORGIAN CHILDREN STUDY IN RUS SCHOOLS
by Eka Mekhuzla

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
October 4, 2006 Wednesday 01:12 PM EST

Georgian Education Minister Kakha Lomaya expressed displeasure over
the decision to end the studies of children, Georgian citizens, in
Russian schools belonging to the Russian Defence Ministry in Tbilisi,
Batumi and Akhalkalaki.

Lomaya told reporters that children, Georgian citizens, who attended
schools belonging to the Russian Defence Ministry in Georgia would
go to nearby schools in charge of the Georgian Ministry of Education.

Lomaya also said that teachers, Georgian citizens, who worked in those
Russian schools and who can work there no longer would be employed
in schools of the Georgian Ministry of Education.

>From Wednesday, children of Georgian citizens no longer attend three
Russian schools belonging to the Russian Defence Ministry in Tbilisi,
Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Itar-Tass learned from the Russian troops
group in the Transcaucasia.

Representative of the Russian troops group said such was the decision
of the Russian Defence Ministry. "From now on children of Georgian
citizens should study in other schools in Georgian territory.

This decision has no national connection. It equally applies to all
children of Georgian citizens – Georgian, Russian, Armenian – and of
people of various other nationalities who studied in these schools,
Itar-Tass was told.

The decision may be connected with the gradual decrease of the number
of pupils. Fewer children continue going to these schools with the
stage-by-stage withdrawal of Russian servicemen from Georgia. The
Russian military base at Akhalkalaki will be closed before October 1,
2007. (Heavy equipment and armaments have already been withdrawn from
the base.)

The base at Batumi and the headquarters of the Russian troops group
in Tbilisi will end functioning in 2008. These schools will be closed
upon the Russian servicemen’s withdrawal.

Some 3,000 schools of the Georgian Ministry of Education now function
in Georgia. Most of them are Georgian schools, and there are also
some 100 Russian schools and several hundred Armenian and Azerbaijani
schools.