Compulsory Education Age
6–16 years old
Legal Status
According to the Article 35 of the Constitution, primary and basic education are obligatory. The civil code of Georgia states that it is the obligation of each parent to bring up and provide education to his/her child. In addition, there
are no restrictions in choosing a form of education according to the constitution. Thus it is up to a parent, or a guardian in case of absence of parents, to make a decision whether a child will receive mandatory general education in an educational
institution or informally outside of the system.
The law “on general education” grants a right to an individual to study general education programs independently. The rules and conditions to receive informal general education (eksternat) are defined by the Ministry. According to the aforementioned
rule, an individual has a right to independently study each course or a subject of general education on primary, basic and secondary stages.
In addition, the legislation of Georgia does not oblige parents to provide information to a government body in advance if they choose to provide their child with education independently from a school. However, the legislation does provide sanctions for
those parents who avoid their obligation to bring up and provide education to their children.
To recognize informal education, it is essential to pass exams (eksternat) approved by the State, which testifies that a person has reached an achievement level defined by the National Curriculum.
An individual has a right to pass an exam if his/her age corresponds with or exceeds the age group of students in the corresponding grade, and if he/she has overcome an educational program of the preceding grade.
Eksternat exams are organized by the Ministry, on the territories of autonomous republics (Autonomous Republic of Adjara and Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia) by corresponding ministries.
The exam is conducted in a written form and is taken:
- On the Primary stage, at the same school where a student is enrolled, prepared by the school
- On Basic and Secondary stages, at a school defined by a territorial body of the Ministry
- At a resource center, in which case the resource center defined by the Ministry prepares for and conducts an exam on a final grade of complete general education or a particular subject exam
The procedural violations of eksternat exams are reviewed by the Ministry. A Special Appeals Committee is created in order to discuss complaints.
If the student achieves mastery of the level of each stage/grade of general education given in the national curriculum, testified by an eksternat exam, a document verifying education is issued. This document is recognized by the State and its legal right
is no different from a document issued by a school. Based on this, an individual has a right to continue studies on a next level.