TIMSS 2011 ENCYCLOPEDIA GEORGIA Georgia Natia Mzhavanadze Magda Nutsa Kobakhidze National Assessment and Examinations Center Introduction Overview of the Education System In 2005, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the Law on General Education, which defines the general education system in Georgia. The Ministry of Education and Sciences of Georgia (MoES), a main governmental body, together with its centers (legal entities of public law) forms educational objectives and short- and long-term strategic plans, establishes national standards, creates and approves national curricula, and determines criteria for textbook evaluation. During the last decade, the Georgian education system has undergone large-scale, simultaneous changes that included decentralization of management, new national curricula and school textbook development, and changes to a per capita nancing system, teacher professional development programs, and standardized student assessments. Decentralization of education management has led to the formation of twelve regional resource centers responsible for monitoring and overseeing the general education system in their assigned regions of the country. During these reforms, the government policy on education has aimed at improving oversight and funding mechanisms for education, granting autonomy to educational institutions, and improving learning and labor market outcomes of educational programs. is includes establishing a quality assurance system at all education levels in addition to improving local school infrastructure and management. Georgia’s general education system is divided into three levels: primary education, covering Grades 1–6; basic (lower secondary) education, covering Grades 7–9; and upper secondary education, covering Grades 10–12. 1 Article 6 (VI) of the Law on General Education states that students enter primary school at the age of ve unless exceptions are made MoES. Under the current Constitution, education is compulsory through Grade 9. Completion of three-year upper secondary education provides access to higher education aer passing a school-leaving and competitive university entrance examination.