SOME PROBLEMS IN GENERAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AND SOLUTION PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

To get the qualified education is one the actual and priority directions. How
can be ensured the quality of education and what can be done at a school to prepare
students for the Unified National Exams?
Public opinion still exists, that the education in higher educational institution
cannot be continued without additional preparation. Naturally the question rises:
how can a person successfully pass the Unified National Exams and continue
study in higher educational institution without additional preparations and only
with school education? Obviously, the prerequisite of this process for school
students is to pass successfully the Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT).
The analysis of the current processes reveals that parents prepare their children
privately for both the Unified National Exams and the school exams (CAT).

To study this issue, we conducted a local empirical research in Samtskhe-Javakheti
region. The participants of the survey were students of different grades,
their parents, teachers and school principals from public schools of Akhaltsikhe
and Akhalkalaki municipalities.
The results of the survey revealed that if additional preparations for 11-12
graders are aimed help them to pass CAT exams, students of secondary level go
to private teachers in different subjects just because the quality of education in
schools are still low.
A part of the surveyed students who do not go to the private teachers but
aims to continue education in HEIs explain it with lack of finances. It can be
concluded that private preparation is available only for students whose families
earn enough money.
We believe that for creating equal opportunities for all students it is preferable
to provide additional educational services at a school level. The school
has the right to do so. It can provide students with educational services that
are envisaged by the National Curriculum and/or not covered by the National
Curriculum. At the same time, according to the school curriculum, the school
has the right, with the agreement with parents, to offer students additional paid
educational services provided by the National Curriculum (The National Curriculum,
2011-2016, article 12; The National Curriculum, 2017-2023, article 22).
It is important to involve parents in order to improve the quality of school
education (for example, in the monitoring process); evaluation system needs to
be improved too.
This issue of the school can be solved in cooperation with higher education
institutions. Exist the good practice in Samtskhe-Javakheti - on the basis of
a memorandum of cooperation - between the LEPL Samtskhe-Javakheti State
University and the public schools of the region that cooperate in this direction.