Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary and Lower Secondary Grades

The school year in Georgia runs from September to June, and consists of at least 180 days. The majority of schools teach five days per week with the number of lesson hours ranging from 21 to 36 per week in Grades 1 to 12. The National Teaching Plan defines the minimum required teaching hours for mathematics and science as follows: in Grade 4, the minimum instructional time for mathematics is five hours per week (180 teaching hours per school year), and for science it is four hours per week (144 hours per year); in Grade 8, the minimum instructional time for both mathematics and science is four hours per week (144 hours per year).¹³ Schools can choose to allocate additional lesson hours for any subject.

Mathematics is a compulsory subject at every level of general education. The teaching plan for science has changed several times. For the cohort of students that participated in TIMSS 2015, the following was effective: students studied integrated sciences in primary education (Grades 1 to 6) as well as in Grade 7; in Grades 8 to 11, students studied biology, physics, and chemistry as separate subjects with a minimum of two hours of instruction per week for each subject.¹⁴

Grade at Which Specialist Teachers for Mathematics and Science are Introduced

Although the majority of teachers of mathematics and science in schools in Georgia are subject professionals, a scarcity of qualified staff in remote areas of the country obliges schools to assign teachers to teach more than one subject (e.g., mathematics and physics).

Instructional Materials, Equipment, and Laboratories

At the time TIMSS 2015 was administered, the Department of National Curriculum and Assessment within the Ministry of Education and Science was responsible for approving textbooks. Since 2011, the Education Quality Enhancement Center has assumed that responsibility. The textbook review process ensures the integrity of teaching materials within national curriculum requirements. Approved materials are not mandatory, and schools are free to choose from a range of government-approved material. However, schools must use textbooks selected by their teachers for a minimum of five consecutive years.

At one time, every school in Georgia had minimally equipped laboratories for teaching and learning science, but these were not used widely or supported technically for many years. Current efforts are underway to re-equip schools with laboratories that meet minimal standards for teaching and learning science.

Use of Technology

Computerization of the Georgian school system has been one of the main goals of education reform. In September 2005, the MoES, with the help of its Estonian counterparts, launched the Deer Leap program to facilitate the modernization of the education system in Georgia by equipping schools with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructures and building their capacity to apply ICT in teaching and learning. Specific program targets included the following:

Increasing access to computers and the Internet in every school
Increasing the availability of educational software and technical support
Increasing the availability and quality of technical support
Equipping teachers and students with relevant ICT skills
Enhancing the integration of ICT into the curriculum
Supporting the introduction of an information management system at the school district and national levels

Since 2011, after introducing changes to the Deer Leap program, the government has provided free laptops to first grade students and supported the introduction of relevant teaching strategies using specially designed software.