Center for Civil Integration and Inter-ethnic Relations has conducted a research which examines whether the new affirmative action policy ensures its declared goal – an equal educational opportunities for all students.
The presentation of research results was held by CCIIR at Gori, Kutaisi, Akhaltsikhe, Batumi and Telavi State Universities as well as at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, where the one-year Georgian language program for ethnic minorities is conducted within the policy. University Professors and Lecturer, students, university administration and one-year Georgian language program directors attended the meeting.
The research was conducted with the financial support of The United Nations Association of Georgia in the framework of the USAID funded program ANI.
The CCIIR studied and investigated the following issues related to the Affirmative Action polity and its performance evaluation: (a)The recruitment of students from minority regions of Georgia and the level of information about the affirmative action policy in minority population; (b) an appropriateness and relevance of the affirmative action policy in terms of its impact on the education outcomes of the minority students on tertiary education level; (c) the level of preparedness of minority students for the tertiary education participating in special one-year Georgian language program within the policy; (d) the process of the learning/teaching in terms of academic performance, infrastructure, other important components for success of affirmative action; (e) general impact of the affirmative action policy on the minority community groups living in Georgia; (f) the problems of ethnic minority students’ after the completion of one year Georgian language program and moving at Bachelor level at higher educational institutions of Georgia.
In addition, organization learned the perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders, particularly the policy making and implementing MoES officials, HEI faculties, School personnel and school students, students and graduates of special one-year Georgian language course within the affirmative action policy program at the HEIs .
Based on the analysis of the research results CCIIR developed recommendation package and public policy document for more effective implementation of the affirmative action policy.