Georgia

2024 developments at a glance

• Political landscape and EU membership progress: in June 2024, the adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence effectively halted Georgia’s European integration process. Coming just months after the country was granted candidate status in December 2023, this decision raises significant concerns about the future of its European aspirations;

• Education strategy and reforms: the Single National Strategy for Education and Science 2022-2030 focuses on enhancing quality and relevance, equal access and inclusion, and robust monitoring and evaluation of the education system. In 2024, key reforms in general education included a major secondary-level curriculum overhaul, increased infrastructure investment—with construction set to begin on 75 new public schools—and a shift toward greater school autonomy, decentralising decision-making to individual schools. Additionally, the Strategy of Professional Orientation, Counselling, and Career Planning 2024-2030 aims to strengthen career guidance services within formal education;

• Recognising the role of teachers and trainers: in 2024, significant efforts were made to enhance the professional development framework for teachers.  Furthermore, around 70% of educators received a salary increase, reinforcing efforts to make teaching a more attractive profession;

• Vocational education and training (VET): the new VET Strategy 2024-2030, developed with support from EU Skills4Jobs, has been approved, focusing on expanding access to VET, aligning programmes with labour market needs, and strengthening work-based learning. Concrete steps have been taken to increase co-management and co-financing through public-private partnerships. Additionally, a new pilot scheme integrating VET programmes into the national curriculum in 20 public schools aims to boost VET enrolment and improve VET completion rates; 

• Labour market participation: the labour market participation rate for individuals aged 15 and above increased from 50.9% to 53.3%, though women and young people remain among the most underrepresented groups.  The National Labour and Employment Policy Strategy 2024-2028, set for adoption in 2025, aims to address labour market mismatches, enhance the inclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and strengthen active labour market policies, including job matching and career counselling. The Public Works Programme, introduced in 2022, has been further expanded to help Targeted Social Assistance (TSA) recipients into formal employment, tackling challenges in the informal labour market;

• Youth in focus: in Georgia, the proportion of young people aged 15-29 not in employment, education or training (NEETs) dropped from 35.1% in 2022 to 26.9% in 2023. While this marks significant progress, NEET rates remain more than double the EU average (11.2%). Helping to address this, the Youth Agency, now part of the restructured Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, is leading the implementation of the State Youth Strategy 2023-2026, which aims to accelerate targeted youth policies; 

• Digital skills development: the Unified National Strategy of Education 2022-2030 prioritises digital skills development and investment in digital resources and infrastructure to improve access to education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and rural areas. The Georgian Agency for Innovation and Technology (GITA), with backing from the World Bank, implemented the Georgia National Innovation Ecosystem Project, which aims to train over 3,000 people in advanced ICT courses.

Priorities for 2025

• Georgia aims to expand the pilot scheme integrating VET programmes into the national curriculum in public schools to boost VET enrolment rates.
• A focus on adapting the school network to meet socio-demographic needs and revising the financing model for general, vocational, and higher education.