The right to receiving quality education in mother tongue for Gali and Akhalgori communities has been struck hardest by the conflict. In the core of the Russification process in these regions lies the attempt to exert pressure and intimidate local Georgian communities, which has turned ethnic Georgian population into victims of systemic discrimination and cultural intimidation. Even though this right belongs to the fundamental civic rights, in the context of the conflict it tends to be excessively politicized and thus, difficult to be captured through the lens of human rights. The violation of the right has been made an agenda item for numerous negotiation formats. However, not only have the parties to the conflict reached any kind of agreement over the contested matter, but they have not made even the slightest progress towards resolving the problem. Meanwhile, the situation gets deteriorated from year to year with the project of the Russification of education reaching its goal in both regions. In this light it is of critical importance that the Georgian government fulfil their positive obligations and undertake all possible measures to ensure access to quality education and the protection of the native tongue for communities of the regions in question.

Georgian language schools in Gali and Akhalgori districts have been progressively denied the rights to receiving education in the mother tongue over years. In Gali the process of Russifying schools and education started step by step and gradually shortly after the end of the armed conflict. Finally, by September 2022, for all grades of Gali district schools Georgian, as a language of instruction had been completely replaced by Russian and Russian textbooks. In Akhalgori the similar process was launched in 2017 and continues to this day.[1] Since September 2022 five out of six schools in Akhalgori, have used Russian as a language of instruction (one school in Akhaglori has always been Russian language).[2]

The Abkhaz and Russian parties have justified the policy shift by using the following arguments: 1. Georgian, as a language of instruction in schools in Abkhazia poses threats to the self-declared “Abkhaz state” since education based on “Georgian ideology” induces deficit of loyalty towards Abkhazia 2. In addition, it has been widely promoted that the knowledge of the Russian language would allow local youth to pursue careers in Abkhazia and Russia while if Georgian remained the language of instruction they would have remained tied to the Georgian state.[3]

Against claims of the Abkhaz authorities that pursuant to their de-facto “legislation” Georgian ethnic minorities of Gali receive education just like other minorities and their rights are protected in line with the international standards[4], discrimination against Gali communities is easy to discern. For instance, students with ethnic Armenian background can receive education in the Armenian language (as early as in 2011 there were three times as many Armenian schools as Georgian).[5]

Therefore, it is evident that it is within interest of Abkhaz and Russian sides to completely replace and eliminate the Georgian language and civic self-identification linked to Georgia among ethnic Georgian communities. Together with other political intentions, the Russification of the education policy serves to cause a shift in Georgians’ identity.[6] The explicit link between the right of the child to education and their cultural identity is acknowledged by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Pursuant to Article 29 of the Convention “States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to the development of respect for the child’s cultural identity, language, and values.“[7] Being a central element of cultural identity, ensuring to education in the child’s mother tongue is of critical importance. In addition, such a provision is important for accessing inclusive and quality education.[8]

Coercive transition to the Russian-language education has been a challenge for both students and teachers since the latter’s command of the Russian language is not sufficient to receive or provide general education. Therefore, this circumstance creates barriers to accessing quality general education. Conversely, in those communities where problems of transition have been overcome to varying degree (for instance, in schools of Gali’s upper zone villages where the transition process had been finalized as early as in 2004-2005),[9] there have been problems related to the knowledge of the Georgian language, which in turn, tends to create a barrier for those students who wish to pursue higher education in Georgia’s higher education institutions.

Present article aims to analyze barriers to quality education in the two regions left beyond the effective control of the Georgian central authorities. In addition, the paper looks into opportunities and resources offered or the ones that should be offered by the Georgian authorities to communities residing in the two regions for effective and full implementation of the right to education.

To this end, the author has studied the most recent reports, a body of research, and statistical data (including those provided by the Public Defender as well as civic and international organizations). In addition, the information has been retrieved from four interviews conducted with residents of Gali,Ochamchire, and Akhalgori, and the head of Gali education resource center, and a representative of the Public Defender’s Office. The document also contains an analysis of information provided by the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science.