Working Conference for GCED Training Course Development in Georgia

Georgia is in the final year of the 3rd round (2021-2023) of GCED Curriculum Development and Integration Project (GCED CDI). National Center for Teachers Professional Development (TPDC), a local implementing institution for GCED CDI for Georgia, has been developing a GCED Training Course for teachers, school leaders, parents and community members from the perspective of a whole school approach.

To support development of GCED Training Course, TPDC and APCEIU co-organized the Working Conference for GCED Training Course Development in Georgia, in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 17 to 18 May, 2023. Participated by over 30 participants, including teachers, principals, professors and experts from public institutions and NGOs, the conference discussed key educational trends, issues and initiatives in assistance with the course development. 

The conference started with welcome remarks from the Deputy Minister for Education and Science of Georgia, Mr Gela Geladze. He emphasized the importance of the GCED CDI project in terms of not only supporting schools but also achieving SDG goals in Georgia. It was followed by the opening remarks of Mr Berika Shukakidze, Director of TPDC, which discussed fostering responsible citizens through GCED grounded in democratic cultures.

APCEIU delivered a speech and presentation to deepen and widen the understanding of GCED. Dr Hyunmook Lim, Director of APCEIU, addressed the role and challenges of GCED in the global complex crises in his keynote speech. Ms Jeongmin Eom, Head of the Office of Research and Development, shared concrete examples of how GCED works as a transformative education in the face of intertwined glocal issues.

Based on the fruitful discussions on GCED in Georgia, the conference participants reviewed the draft training course. Following the presentation of the draft course by Ms Nino Gvaramadze and Ms Maia Biladze, who are in charge of the training course development in TPDC, participants gathered their feedback and ideas to improve the draft. Suggested comments included linking the context of the communities with GCED, pairing the course up with resources and activities for teachers, and utilizing school projects.

After the conference, the project team members will finalize the draft course based on the ideas proposed at the conference and translate it into the online module. The Training Course will officially launch in October and be uploaded on TPDC’s Education e-house and APCEIU page.