Aggressive recruiting for teaching English in Georgia

Author: Ketevan Natsvlichvili

The Republic of Georgia has been undergoing many reforms the past couple of years, “educational revolution” being the latest development. The president of Georgia, not too long ago announced that English language is to become a second language and is to foster a new generation who will play a role on the global arena.

To put theory into practice, the ”teach and learn for Georgia” project was launched and the first phase of foreign English teachers arrived in the July 2010. A total of 1000 are scheduled to the land on Georgian soil by the end of 2010-2011 school year, and 10, 000 over the next four years.

Most foreign teachers sign up directly from the source, administered by the Georgian Ministry of Education. However, there is increasing number of organizations such as footprints recruiting and cci-exchange offering native English speakers to venture out to Georgia as well.

One of the advantages of the program is that the volunteers are introduced to Georgia, and are encouraged to learn its language and customs. That’s why they will be called “Georgia’s goodwill ambassadors” after leaving the county, as they will automatically raise awareness of often unknown country to the general public in the west. And will serve as liaison if you will. To emphasize the important role the teachers are to play in the future of Georgia, the president personally welcomed the first arrivals and you can read about their reactions in some of the blogs listed below.

This subject has been in the news casts for quite some time stirring up some discussion for all parties involved.

The reactions from the general public seem positive, although I can’t help but speculate that such a strong and sudden movement must be a little overwhelming. The learning curve is definitely needed for this non-traditional approach. However, this might just be thing that Georgia needs.

Together with the language proficiency, the undertaking is also to result in adaptation of western values and culture. This is one of the items that drew my attention while researching this topic, because I am not a believer of adaptation of other cultures but innovation or advancement of our own. The western culture, as superior as it seems, has very many flows of its own. This of course is an issue on its own and I will not get into it just yet.

The challenge in my opinion will be in perseverance, as learning a language is an ongoing long term process which cannot be haltered. As well, the recruits are not trained teachers and although they speak English at a high level, teaching is not a given.

Before I turn into a sceptic and an optimist at the same time, what are some of your thoughts, suggestions, and comment? How close to home is this to you?

Sources used in this post: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Visa requirement

The trending topic in Georgia during the last two weeks was visa for a variety of reasons.

First, Georgian government made an important announcement that starting October 13, 2010, North Caucasians can visit Georgia for up to 90 days without a visa. Decision of Georgia's government rose many questions among politicians within and outside the country, nevertheless ordinary people immediately started benefiting from it. The best part of it is that now they can visit their relatives, make business deals or just enjoy tourist attractions without the hassle of going through all the bureaucratic troubles of obtaining a visa.

Going in the same spirit, the European Union (EU) made some vital changes in the visa requirement for the Georgians. The visa process for EU now became more transparent and quick. This new mechanism of handling the visa process will benefit not only the ordinary Georgians in large but especially a certain group of people. Students, journalists and those engaged in cultural, artistic, scientific and sports activities will no longer require visa to visit an EU country.

Both of these gestures on part of the Georgian government and EU are huge step towards bridging differences and connecting people that will ultimately result in more socio-economic prosperity for the region in general.

source: PFE/RL, European Parliament, Civil.ge, RiaNovosti.

I speak your language

Understanding each other is very important. Only listening and understanding can make a big difference in our lives; it can resolve problems and clear misconceptions. Therefore, in ideal world we would understand language of each other.

Right now we, Abkhazians, Ossetians and Georgians need to find some middle language for communication. Mostly it is Russian and sometimes it's English. However our language of communication can be any other one, for example Abkhazian, Georgian and Ossetian. For those who are interested in learning Georgian language, Nino and me, we wrote a book. I hope it will help beginners.

ABGEO team would welcome working with specialist of Abkhazian or Ossetian, to develop a basic course for Georgian speakers. If you think, you can help, please contact me.

Top 5 vegetables

These 5 vegetables are some of the healthiest food (listed in no particular order). Try to eat as many different kinds of vegetables as you can. And each day try to eat at least one red or orange colored vegetable.

1. Broccoli - is among the healthiest among vegetables.It is an excellent course of calcium, potassium, vitamins A and C, anti-oxidant, beta-carotene and folate. These help reduce the chances for cancer and heart diseases.
2. Cabbage - is the member of the vegetable family which is rich in phytochemical. It is impressive with its high content level of calcium, iron, iodine, potassium, sulfur, and phosphorus.
3. Carrot - is one of the most healing foods that provides the finest and highest quality in nutrients, especially from its juice. It is an excellent source of pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, D, E, K, B1 and B6.
4. Garlic - has an admirable source of vitamins A, B-complex and C. It provides a good supply of minerals such as manganese, phosphorus, calcium, copper, potassium, iron. Garlic is know as anti cold treatment as it kills all bad bacterias in the body.
5. Bell Peppers - are colourful. Their rich pigmentation are full of anti-oxidants and carotenoids. Chlorophyll in bell peppers protects against environmental free radicals.
   

MAKING A DIFFERENCE ANY TIME ANY PLACE

Author: Ketevan Natsvlichvili

The originators of the ABGEO blog have been promoting and initiating dialogue of unity and peace since 2007, with much success. We not only believe in the brighter future of the region, but also that we are the ones that have to create this future together. Many people all around the world regardless of their ethnicity strive every day to get closer to that unity. There are numerous organizations, events and online groups which are dedicated to giving Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia and its people a better future.

This is a new initiative for ABGEO, where our goal is to introduce the individuals, who strive to make a difference whether on small or big scale. Our goal is to recognize and unite these wonderful individuals and make them stronger with our support and gratitude. Often the hard work is not recognized, and/or it’s hard to find such individuals as they are scattered all over the world.

The idea sparked after we realized the amount of people who would like to get involved, but perhaps lack the leadership, resources or simply confidence. We hope that this initiative will inspire and motivate people to unite and bring us all closer to peace.

Hence, we will be seeking out and interviewing one individual per month. The interview will include questions starting from their favourite dish to their aspirations, challenges and lessons learned. We hope that you, our readers, will enjoy the visionaries that we have lined up for you.

But before we can go on we need your help! We invite you to suggest a person or an organization that you would like to hear more about, the more the better!