Außerschulische Bildung 4/2024

A statement from Georgia

In November 2023, the EU Commission decided to recommend Georgia as a candidate country for accession to the European Union. What would Georgia's accession mean for you and your country?

I have been teaching citizenship in Georgia for more than three years, specifically in a public school in the city of Rustavi. The history of civic education in Georgia began in 2005, however, it took years for both the school community and society in general to realize the necessity and importance of this subject. Today, citizenship is a subject discipline just like any other subject in general education institutions. We have seen that this process has largely been successful, and non-governmental sector activities, strengthened by financial support from Western international organizations, have played a significant role in this success.

Civic education in Georgia serves to master the following four basic concepts: society, democracy, civic participation, and sustainable development. Naturally, in the learning process, students' understanding of these concepts ensures their development as responsible, free individuals. In addition, it helps adolescents share their country's national, political, cultural, and economic interests. The continuity and consistency of civic education develop students' civic skills that show them their role and potential both in the context of their own country and globally, and they believe that they can bring positive changes for both their country and the global community.

I think young people proved the practical test of theory during the dozens of days of demonstrations against the law „On Transparency of Foreign Influence” initiated and already adopted by the Georgian government over the past two years. The so-called Russian law, which restricts the work of media and civil sector in Georgia, became a turning point for Georgian civil society: do we want Europe and European values or are we returning to the dangerous past – Russia? During the protests, when I stood with my colleagues to save Georgia's pro-European future, I couldn't shake the feeling that the window of opportunity was closing before our eyes and we were being left behind. Society understands well that the adoption of this law violates Georgia's constitutionally guaranteed aspiration for EU integration (Constitution, Article 78), as it completely contradicts EU law, its fundamental principles, and the 12 recommendations that Georgia is obliged to fulfill and on the basis of which it was granted candidate country status in December 2023.

Despite the scale of Russian disinformation and propaganda, which significantly intensified after Russia's aggressive invasion of Ukraine and gave rise to numerous disinformation narratives and irrational fears in Georgia, I believe that a large part of society is resistant to these narratives. The formal and informal educational sectors, which are engaged in strengthening media literacy skills in society, play a positive role in this. According to all surveys and studies, up to 80 % of society supports Georgia's European perspective, which is not accidental: The visa liberalization adopted in 2016 allowed Georgian citizens to travel to Europe without bureaucratic barriers and get acquainted on the spot with all the values, virtues, and culture on which Europe stands today and on which civic education in Georgia is based.