On Education Quality Improvement

On Education Quality Improvement
Document number	3531
Document issuer	Parliament of Georgia
Date of issuing	21/07/2010
Document type	Law of Georgia
Source and date of publishing	LHG, 47, 05/08/2010
Registration code	430.050.000.05.001.004.163
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LAW OF GEORGIA

ON EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Chapter I – General Provisions

Article 1 – Purpose of the Law

The purpose of this Law is to determine the legal basis for the mechanisms, which facilitate education quality improvement.

Article 2 – Mechanisms facilitating education quality improvement

1. Education quality improvement shall be facilitated by means of internal and external mechanisms.

2. External mechanisms of the facilitation of education quality improvement shall be authorisation and accreditation.

3. Internal mechanisms of the facilitation of education quality improvement shall be applied by educational institutions, as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

Article 2¹ – Definitions of terms

1. The terms used in this Law shall have the following meanings for the purposes of this Law and for the general education, vocational education and higher education systems:

a) National Qualifications Framework – an instrument for the classification of qualifications according to the learning outcomes, which aims to integrate and coordinate the education subsystems (general education, vocational education, higher education, informal education), and to improve the transparency, access, progression and quality of qualifications, taking into consideration the interests of the labour market and the society;

b) qualification – a formal outcome of an assessment and validation by an authorised institution/institutions of the achieved learning outcomes, which is certified by a certificate recognised by the state, a diploma, which is a document certifying higher or vocational education, or a state document certifying general education;

c) learning outcomes – the statements of the knowledge and understanding (the outcome of assimilation of the information, facts, principles, theories and practices related to a field of study or work), skills (the ability to apply appropriate knowledge to complete tasks and solve problems) and/or the responsibility and autonomy (the ability to use knowledge and skills with values and appropriate level of independence) to be achieved by a person;

d) fields of education classification – an instrument that classifies the fields of education in Georgia and relates relevant qualifications to them;

e) formal education – part of the lifelong learning system, which implies the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, skills, and/or responsibility and autonomy within the framework of an educational programme awarding qualification;

f) informal education – part of the lifelong learning system, which implies the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, skills, and/or responsibility and autonomy beyond the formal education;

g) cluster of higher education programmes – educational programmes classified according to the National Qualifications Framework and the fields of education classification for the purposes of the process of accreditation of higher education programmes, which are grouped in terms of content (programme content, and learning objectives and outcomes) (except for the joint higher education programmes provided for in Article 2(z₅₅) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education and the regulated higher education programmes provided for in Article 75(2)(b) of the same law). The rules and conditions for grouping educational programmes into clusters shall be determined by the accreditation regulations of the educational programmes of higher education institutions (‘the accreditation regulations’);

h) Coordination Council – a collegial body established for a term of 4 years in order to ensure the participation of stakeholders in the management, as well as the development of the activities and education quality assurance mechanisms of the Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL) called the National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement operating under the governance of the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. The procedure for the establishment and operation of the Coordination Council shall be determined by the statute of the LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement.

2. Other terms used in this Law, which are not defined in paragraph 1 of this article, shall have the meanings defined by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Law of Georgia No 4366of 27 June 2024 – website, 3.7.2024

Chapter II – Body Authorised to Apply External Mechanisms for the Facilitation of Education Quality improvement

Article 3 – National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement

1. A Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL) called the National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement ('the Centre') operating under the governance of the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia ('the Ministry') shall be established for the facilitation of educational quality enhancement.

2. The Centre shall be independent in its activities. The Centre shall perform activities on the principles of publicity and transparency, under the Constitution of Georgia, international agreements and treaties of Georgia, this Law, other legislative acts, the statute of the Centre approved by the Ministry, and other legal acts.

3. Regarding the activities of the Centre, under the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia, the Ministry shall:

a) approve the statute of the Centre;

b) approve the regulations ('the authorisation regulations') and fees for the authorisation of educational institutions;

c) approve the accreditation regulations and the fees for accreditation;

d) approve the procedure and fees for the verification of the authenticity of educational documents issued in Georgia and of the recognition of education acquired abroad; be authorised to set terms that are different from those determined by the General Administrative Code of Georgia for administrative procedures related to the verification of the authenticity of educational documents issued in Georgia and of the recognition of education acquired abroad;

e) (deleted – 20.9.2018, No 3445);

e¹) approve the fee for the verification of linguistic accuracy of a strict accounting document, a state document certifying education;

f) determine timeframes and/or fees for services rendered by the Centre;

g) exercise other rights determined by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No 4790 of 17 June 2011 – website, 28.6.2011

Law of Georgia No 5348 of 25 November 2011 – website, 6.12.2011

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 3028 of 5 July 2018 – website, 11.7.2018

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 350 of 16 March 2021 – website, 18.3.2021

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 3836 of 30 November 2023 – website, 15.12.2023

Article 4 – Legal status of the Centre

1. The Centre shall be a legal entity under public law within the Ministry, established by this Law.

2. The head of the Centre shall be the director who shall be appointed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia (‘the Minister’), for a term of 5 years.

2¹. The Centre director shall be dismissed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Minister.

2². The members of the Coordination Council shall participate in the process of selection of the candidate for and the dismissal of the Centre director in accordance with the procedure established by the statute of the Centre.

2³. The grounds for early termination of the term of office of the Centre director shall be as follows:

a) a resignation letter;

b) the loss of the citizenship of Georgia;

c) the entry into legal force of a court judgment of conviction against him/her;

d) death;

e) a court decision that makes it impossible for the Centre director to exercise his/her authority;

f) a gross violation of the obligations envisaged by the authority of the Centre director and/or causing substantial damage to the activities of the Centre.

2⁴. The Centre director may not simultaneously be employed or hold any position in the executive authority of Georgia.

3. Rights and obligations of the director of the Centre, structure of the Centre and the scope of authority of its structural units shall be determined by the statute of the Centre.

4. Public control of the Centre shall be performed by the Ministry, as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

5. Articles 10¹ and 10² of the Law of Georgia on Legal Entities under Public Law shall not apply to the activities of the Centre.

Law of Georgia No 3028 of 5 July 2018 – website, 11.7.2018

Law of Georgia No 350 of 16 March 2021 – website, 18.3.2021

Law of Georgia No 3836 of 30 November 2023 – website, 15.12.2023

Law of Georgia No 4366 of 27 June 2024 – website, 3.7.2024

Law of Georgia No 403 of 1 April 2025 – website, 3.4.2025

Article 5 – Basic areas of activities of the Centre

1. The Centre, within the scope of its authority, shall:

a) facilitate educational quality improvement and develop recommendations for that purpose;

b) perform authorisation of higher education institutions (except for the Legal Entity under Public Law Kutaisi International University (‘Kutaisi International University’)) and accreditation of their educational programmes;

b¹) perform authorisation of vocational education institutions;

b²) carry out the institutional evaluation of higher education institutions operating abroad and evaluate their educational programmes in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the authorisation regulations and accreditation regulations;

b²) carry out the authorisation of general education institutions;

c) ensure verification of the authenticity of educational documents issued in Georgia;

d) provide recognition of education acquired abroad;

e) (deleted – 20.9.2018, No 3445);

f) provide verification of linguistic accuracy of a strict accounting document, a state document certifying education;

g) exercise other rights determined by the statute of the Centre.

2. The Centre shall provide information necessary for ensuring apostille certification/legalisation of documents issued by the Ministry and the bodies within its system, as well as of documents issued by the educational institutions within their authority, to the Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL) called the Public Service Development Agency operating under the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. Rules for requesting and providing information necessary for ensuring apostille certification/legalisation of documents issued by the Ministry and the bodies within its system, as well as of documents issued by the educational institutions within their authority, shall be approved by a joint order of the Minister and the Minister of Justice of Georgia.

3. The fees for services provided in connection with the apostille certification/legalisation of documents issued by the Ministry and its bodies, as well as documents issued by educational institutions within the scope of their authority, and the procedure for the payment and reimbursement of such fees, shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No 5022 of 27 April 2016 – website, 13.5.2016

Law of Georgia No 3028 of 5 July 2018 – website, 11.7.2018

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 5278 of 1 November 2019 – website, 4.11.2019

Law of Georgia No 350 of 16 March 2021 – website, 18.3.2021

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Law of Georgia No 4161 of 15 May 2024 – website, 21.5.2024

Article 6 – Property and financing of the Centre

1. The Centre shall have property for achieving its goals and performing its functions, which shall be formed as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

2. The property of the Centre shall be comprised of fixed assets and current assets, as well as other material valuables and financial resources, which shall be reflected in the independent balance sheet of the Centre.

3. Sources of financing of the Centre shall be:

a) targeted resources allocated from the State Budget of Georgia;

b) fees for services provided by the Centre;

c) targeted loans and grants;

d) income from the work performed on the basis of a contract;

e) income in the form of gifts and donations;

f) other income permitted by the legislation of Georgia.

4. Funds and income determined by paragraph 3 of this article shall be completely used for achieving the goals and performing the functions of the Centre.

Chapter III – Authorisation

Article 7 – Purpose and content of authorisation. Authorisation standards

1. Authorisation is the procedure of acquiring educational institution status in order to meet standards necessary for implementing appropriate activities for issuing a document certifying education recognised by the state.

2. Authorisation standards for general education institutions shall apply to:

a) school philosophy;

b) school curricula;

c) administrative and infrastructural support of the educational process;

d) support of pupils.

2¹. Authorisation standards for higher education institutions shall apply to:

a) the mission of a higher education institution and its strategic development;

b) organisational structure and management of a higher educational institution;

c) educational programmes;

d) personnel of a higher educational institution;

e) students and activities for their support;

f) research, development and/or other creative activity;

g) material, informational and financial resources.

2². Authorisation standards for vocational education institutions shall apply to:

a) the mission of a vocational education institution and its strategic development;

b) educational programmes;

c) vocational students and activities for their support;

d) human resources;

e) material, informational and financial resources.

3. Conditions for meeting authorisation standards and the rule of authorisation shall be determined by the authorisation regulations.

4. For general education institutions established by or with the participation of the State, including for general education institutions referred to in Article 27 of the Law of Georgia on General Education, the Ministry may determine different conditions of authorisation in the authorisation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 8 – Institutions subject to authorisation

1. The following institutions (’applicants’) shall be subject to authorisation:

a) applicants for the status of a general education institution;

b) applicants for the status of a vocational education institution;

c) applicants for the status of a higher education institution.

1¹. Kutaisi International University shall obtain authorisation according to the Law of Georgia on the Establishment of a Legal Entity under Public Law Kutaisi International University.

2. An applicant shall state in the authorisation application that in the case of acquiring authorisation, it shall implement:

a) a primary general educational programme;

b) a basic general educational programme;

c) a secondary general educational programme;

d) a basic vocational education programme;

d¹) a secondary vocational education programme;

d²) a higher vocational education programme;

d³) a short-cycle education programme;

e) an educational programme for Bachelor's studies;

e¹) an integrated Bachelor and Master of Education teacher training programme;

f) an educational programme for Master's studies;

g) an educational programme for Doctoral studies;

h) another educational programme, which requires mandatory accreditation under the legislation of Georgia, and educational programmes, which are related to the issuance of documents certifying education recognised by the state.

3. A general education institution and a vocational education institution shall be authorised to implement only the educational programme/programmes indicated in the authorisation application, and the educational programmes added by the educational institution during the term of authorisation as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

3¹. A higher education institution shall be authorised to implement only an accredited higher education programme/programmes and a Georgian language training programme.

4. The following shall not be subject to authorisation:

a) an entity performing educational activities, which:

a.a) do not imply issuance of a document certifying qualification;

a.b) are not part of the educational programme awarding qualification;

a.c) are not either directly or indirectly related to the educational programme awarding qualification, and have independent learning outcomes;

a.d) are not completed by awarding the qualification;

b) individual educational activities of a natural person, including those in the field of vocational training.

5. An institution that has acquired the status of a general education institution, a vocational education institution, or a higher education institution shall not be authorised to acquire any other status of an educational institution, without establishing another independent legal entity. In the case of acquiring a relevant right, a general education institution shall be authorised to implement only official language training programmes, basic vocational education programmes, secondary vocational education programmes, vocational training programmes and/or vocational retraining programmes, without establishing another independent legal entity. In the case of acquiring a relevant right, a higher education institution shall be authorised to implement any vocational education programme, short-cycle education programme, official language training programme, vocational training programme and/or vocational retraining programme without establishing another independent legal entity. The decisions regarding such matters shall be made by the respective councils, namely: the Authorisation Council of Vocational Education Institutions, the Council Granting the Right to Implement the Official Language Training Programme, and the Council Granting the Right to Implement Vocational Training/Vocational Retraining Programmes.

5¹. An institution that has acquired the status of a higher education institution shall be authorised to establish a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial legal entity) for the purpose of implementation of vocational education programmes and/or short-cycle education programmes.

6. Failure to meet the requirements specified by paragraphs 3 and 5 of this article may cause revocation of authorisation.

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Law of Georgia No 4559 of 25 November 2015 – website, 8.12.2015

Law of Georgia No 4585 of 27 November 2015 – website, 10.12.2015

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 5278 of 1 November 2019 – website, 4.11.2019

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 3304 of 28 June 2023 – website, 17.7.2023

Article 9 – Self-evaluation of an applicant

The first stage of the authorisation process shall be a self-evaluation carried out by an applicant according to a form preliminarily determined by the Centre.

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 10 – A group of authorisation experts

To provide authorisation of general, vocational and higher educational institutions, the Centre shall form groups of authorisation experts for general, vocational and higher education institutions respectively, the procedure for formation and activities of which shall be determined by the authorisation regulations. An applicant shall be authorised to exercise its right to decline experts, as provided for by the authorisation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Article 11 – Decisions regarding authorisation

1. Decisions regarding the authorisation of general, vocational and higher education institutions shall be made by the authorisation councils of general, vocational and higher education institutions respectively ('the Authorisation Councils'). The members of the Authorisation Councils shall be appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Ministry. The members of the Authorisation Councils shall not be public officers, except for the cases determined by paragraph 1² of this Article. Powers and activities of the Authorisation Councils shall be determined by the authorisation regulations, which guarantee their functional independence from educational institutions and state bodies.

1¹. The Authorisation Council of a higher education institution shall comprise permanent members and invited members. The invited members shall participate in the activities of the Authorisation Council of a higher education institution only if a regulated higher education programme, determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education, is indicated in the authorisation application submitted by an applicant for the status of a higher education institution. The invited members of the Authorisation Council of a higher education institution shall have the voting rights.

1². The invited members of the Authorisation Council of a higher education institution shall be appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Ministry. In the process of selection of candidates for the invited members of the Authorisation Council of a higher education institution, the Ministry shall be guided by the requirements and criteria established by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) in relation to the composition of the council.

2. Based on the authorisation documents and the opinion of an appropriate group of authorisation experts, the Authorisation Councils shall make one of the following decisions:

a) to grant an authorisation;

b) to deny an authorisation;

c) to revoke an authorisation;

d) to deprive of the right to carry out vocational education programme/programmes;

e) to deprive the general education institutions established in the form of a legal entity under private law of the right to implement general education programme/programmes;

f) to submit a request to the Ministry regarding the expediency of the operation of a general education institution established by or with the participation of the State/the implementation of a general education programme of a general education institution established by or with the participation of the State.

2¹. Within the scope of the process of authorisation of a higher education institution or the process of verification of compliance of a higher education institution with the authorisation conditions, the Authorisation Council of a higher education institution shall have the right to make a decision on restriction of the right of the higher education institution to admit students/vocational students for at least 1 year, both in relation to the entire higher education institution and at individual stages of higher education. The procedure and conditions for making such a decision, as well as the maximum period of restriction of the right of the higher education institution to admit students/vocational students shall be determined by the authorisation regulations of an educational institution.

2². If a decision determined by paragraph 2(b) or (c) of this article is made during an academic year, the Authorisation Council of a general education institution/higher education institution shall have the right, taking into consideration the request of a respective educational institution and the legal interests of the pupils/students, and for the purpose of continuity of the study process, irrespective of the remaining term of authorisation, to allow the pupils/students, by an appropriate decision, to complete the current academic year at a respective educational institution and to determine the date of entry into force of the decision on revocation of authorisation or on denial of repeated authorisation not later than the date of completion of the current academic year.

2³. If the circumstances of revoking/denying the authorisation of a general education institution established by or with the participation of the State/the cancellation of a general education programme of a general education institution established by or with the participation of the State arise, the Authorisation Council of a general education institution shall have the right to submit a request to the Ministry regarding the expediency of operation of a general education institution/implementation of a general education programme.

3. Authorisation Councils must justify the decisions they render.

4. Decisions on authorisation or on denial of authorisation shall be made within 180 calendar days after officially submitting to the Centre a document certifying the payment of the authorisation fee.

5. A decision specified in paragraph 2 of this article shall be published on the Centre's website within 10 working days.

6. Times for submission of an authorisation application to the Centre must provide for the continuity of the status of an educational institution. The Legal Entity under Public Law called the Education Management Information System is obliged to notify the educational institution on the expiry of the term of authorisation not earlier that one year and not later than nine months prior to its expiry.

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1933 of 23 December 2017 – website, 11.1.2018

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Law of Georgia No 4300 of 27 June 2024 – website, 4.7.2024

Article 12 – Decision regarding granting authorisation

1. Decisions to grant an authorisation shall be made if an educational institution meets all authorisation standards.

2. The term of authorisation of higher education institutions and vocational education institutions shall be 6 years, and the term of authorisation of general education institutions shall be 9 years.

3. If a decision to grant an authorisation is made, the Authorisation Councils shall determine the limit of the number of pupils, vocational students and students for an appropriate educational institution within the term of the authorisation, as provided for by the authorisation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 3960 of 15 December 2023 – website, 25.12.2023

Article 13 – Legal consequences of authorisation

1. As a result of authorisation, a general education institution and a vocational education institution shall have the right to admit pupils and vocational students, and issue documents certifying qualification, as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

2. As a result of authorisation, a higher education institution shall have the right to admit students to accredited higher education programmes and the Georgian language training programme, and to issue documents certifying qualification, as provided for by the legislation of Georgia, except for the cases provided for in Article 11(2¹) of this Law.

3. In the case provided for in Article 11(2³) of this Law, when the Ministry makes a decision on the expediency of operation of a general education institution/implementation of a general education programme, the operation of the general education institution/implementation of the general education programme shall be continued for the remaining term of authorisation.

Law of Georgia No 1933 of 23 December 2017 – website, 11.1.2018

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 14 – Decisions to deny an authorisation

A decision to deny an authorisation shall be made if an educational institution fails to meet one of the authorisation standards, except for the case provided for in Article 11(2³) of this Law.

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 15 – Verification of terms of authorisation and revocation of authorisation

1. The Centre shall monitor the performance of the terms of authorisation by an educational institution. If the non-compliance with the authorisation standards is identified, the Authorisation Councils shall have the right to provide not more than 60 days for the educational institution to remedy shortcomings, unless it is obvious that it will have no effect.

2. The terms of authorisation shall be verified annually by submitting a self-evaluation report to the Centre, as well as upon the initiative of the Centre.

2¹. A report of self-evaluation of a higher education institution shall be submitted to the Centre not less than once in every three years. The timeframes for the submission of a report of self-evaluation of a higher education institution to the Centre shall be determined by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

2². General education institutions and vocational education institutions are obliged to carry out self-evaluation according to the procedure established by the authorisation regulations.

3. The Authorisation Councils shall have the right to make a decision to revoke an authorisation based on the results of an inspection of an educational institution, if the educational institution violates authorisation standards or legislative norms of Georgia in the field of education regarding origination, suspension or termination of the status of a pupil, a vocational student, or a student of an educational institution, except for the case provided for in Article 11(2³) of this Law.

3¹. If, in the process of verification of the terms of authorisation, it is identified that any of two or more than two vocational education programmes being carried out fail to comply with the standards determined by Article 7(2²)(b) of this Law, the Authorisation Council of the vocational education institutions shall be empowered to make a decision on deprivation of the right to carry out the respective vocational education programme/programmes, instead of the decision on revocation of the authorisation.

3². If, during the inspection of compliance with the authorisation conditions, it has been established that any of two or more general education programmes implemented by a general education institution fails to comply with the authorisation standards determined by Article 7(2)(b) of this Law, the Authorisation Council of the general education institution shall have the right, instead of a decision on revocation of authorisation, to make a decision on the deprivation of the general education institution of the right to implement the respective general education programme/programmes, except for the case provided for in Article 11(2³) of this Law.

4. A decision on revoking authorisation and a decision on submitting to the Ministry a request referred to in Article 11(2³) of this Law shall be taken within 90 calendar days after the issuance of an order of a director of the Centre regarding the inspection of the compliance with authorisation conditions by the educational institution. The above timeframe shall be considered suspended during the period established by the Authorisation Councils for an educational institution for remedying the shortcoming.

Law of Georgia No 5348 of 25 November 2011 – website, 6.12.2011

Law of Georgia No 347 of 20 March 2013 – website, 29.3.2013

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 16 – Legal consequences of denial, revocation or expiry of authorisation

1. In case of denial or revocation of an authorisation:

a) an institution shall not be able to obtain or shall be deprived of the status of an educational institution from the date of entry into force of the respective decision;

b) an educational institution shall, in accordance with Article 11(2²) of this Law, continue the educational activities for the period determined by the Authorisation Council, within the scope of which it shall be restricted the right to admit pupils/students/vocational students/entrants/candidates for Master's degree/ candidates for doctoral degree/applicants;

c) pupils/students shall have the right, in accordance with Article 11(2²) of this Law, to continue studies at the same educational institution or to move to another relevant educational institution for the period determined by the Authorisation Council;

d) in accordance with Article 11(2²) of this Law, students shall have their status suspended within five years after the expiration of the period (if any) determined by the Authorisation Council or after the entry into force of the decision of the Authorisation Council on denial or revocation of authorisation, and they may exercise their right to mobility;

e) vocational students shall have their status suspended for five years after the entry into force of the decision of the Authorisation Council on denial or revocation of authorisation or on deprivation of the right to carry out a vocational education programme/programmes, and they may exercise their right to mobility;

f) an entrant, who has passed the Unified National Examinations and acquired the right to be admitted to a higher education institution according to the document of ranking approved by the LEPL National Assessment and Examinations Center, shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility;

g) a candidate for Master’s degree, who has been included in the document of ranking by coefficients of the postgraduate examinations, shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility;

h) an applicant, who has acquired the right to be admitted to an educational institution carrying out an appropriate vocational education programme, shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility.

2. In case of making a decision on the denial of authorisation or a decision on the revocation of authorisation, a legal person shall be authorised to submit an authorisation application to the Centre for obtaining the same status of an educational institution after one year the decision on the denial of authorisation or the decision on the revocation of authorisation is made.

3. If an authorisation application has been submitted to the Centre in observance of the timeframes for the submission of the authorisation application specified in the authorisation regulations, and the Centre director has issued individual administrative act on the establishment of a respective authorisation expert group, the applicant shall be considered an authorised educational institution for 180 calendar days after the expiry of the term of authorisation before the entry into force of a decision adopted by the respective Authorisation Council as provided for in Article 11(2)(a) or (b) of this Law.

4. The procedure and conditions for considering an applicant an authorised educational institution shall be determined by the authorisation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1162 of 9 December 2025 – website, 12.12.2025

Article 16¹ – Adding an educational programme

1. On the basis of an application for adding an educational programme submitted to the Centre, an educational institution shall have the right to add a vocational education programme/programmes, a general education programme/programmes, and a short-cycle education programme/programmes.

1¹. Only an authorised general education institution shall have the right to submit an application for adding an educational programme.

2. The form of an application for adding an educational programme to be submitted to the Centre shall be approved by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

3. The procedure, conditions and fee for adding an educational programme shall be determined by the authorisation regulations.

4. A decision on adding an educational programme or on refusal to add an educational programme shall be made within 90 calendar days after the submission to the Centre of an application for adding an educational programme.

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Law of Georgia No 3304 of 28 June 2023 – website, 17.7.2023

Article 16² – Increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students

1. An educational institution shall have the right to submit to the Centre a written application for increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students.

2. The form of a written application for increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students to be submitted to the Centre shall be approved by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

3. The procedure, conditions and fee for increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students shall be determined by the authorisation regulations.

4. A decision on increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students or on refusal to increase the number of pupils, vocational students and students shall be made within 90 calendar days after the submission to the Centre of a written application for increasing the number of pupils, vocational students and students.

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Chapter IV – Accreditation

Article 17 – Purpose and content of accreditation

1. The purpose of accreditation shall be to establish systematic self-evaluation of educational institutions and to facilitate the development of quality assurance mechanisms for improving the quality of education by determining the compliance of the educational programmes of an educational institution (except for general education programmes, vocational education programmes, and short-cycle education programmes) with the accreditation standards.

2. State education grants and state Master's education grants shall be awarded to finance an educational programme of a higher education institution (except for an Orthodox theological education institution) that underwent accreditation, or whose accreditation was performed by an appropriately competent foreign organisation recognised by the Centre and the accreditation awarded by such organisation is recognised by the Centre according to the procedure established by the accreditation regulations.

3. Higher education programmes (except for Orthodox theological higher education programmes of Orthodox theological education institutions) and the Georgian language training programme may be implemented only upon acquiring accreditation.

4. The education programmes of Kutaisi International University shall undergo accreditation according to the Law of Georgia on the Establishment of a Legal Entity under Public Law Kutaisi International University.

5. A joint higher education programme may be implemented only after it obtains accreditation. Accreditation of the joint higher education programme shall be performed according to the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

6. (Deleted – 26.7.2017, No 1224).

Law of Georgia No 188 of 28 December 2012 – website, 29.12.2012

Law of Georgia No 4559 of 25 November 2015 – website, 8.12.2015

Law of Georgia No 4585 of 27 November 2015 – website, 10.12.2015

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 5278 of 1 November 2019 – website, 4.11.2019

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 18 – Accreditation standards

Accreditation standards shall be as follows:

a) the purpose of the educational programme, outcome of learning and the compliance of the outcome with the programme;

b) methodology and organisation of the study process, adequacy of evaluation of mastering the programme;

c) achievements of students, and individual work with them;

d) provision with resources necessary for the study process;

e) possibilities for education quality improvement.

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 19 – Accreditation process

1. Accreditation shall be carried out by the Centre.

2. The Educational Programmes Accreditation Council ('the Accreditation Council') shall be formed for rendering decisions regarding accreditation, which shall comprise the permanent members and the invited members. A public officer may not be a member of the Accreditation Council, except for the case determined by paragraph 2² of this article. The powers and rules of operation of the Accreditation Council shall be determined by accreditation regulations, which guarantee its functional independence from educational institutions and state bodies.

2¹. The invited members of the Accreditation Council shall participate in its activities only if a regulated higher education programme, determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education, is indicated in the accreditation application submitted by a higher education institution. The invited members of the Accreditation Council shall have the voting rights.

2². The permanent members and invited members of the Accreditation Council shall be appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Ministry. In the process of selection of candidates for the invited members of the Accreditation Council, the Ministry shall be guided by the requirements and criteria established by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) in relation to the composition of the Accreditation Council.

3. Accreditation of higher education programmes, including joint higher education programmes, may be carried out by a foreign organisation with appropriate competence recognised by the Centre. The recognition shall be carried out according to the procedure established by the accreditation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Article 20 – Self-evaluation of an accreditation applicant and establishment of compliance of documents with the respective requirements

1. The first stage of accreditation process shall be the self-evaluation carried out by an accreditation applicant according to a form preliminarily provided by the Centre to the accreditation applicant.

2. The Center shall, within 7 working days, verify the self-evaluation submitted by an accreditation applicant for educational programmes within the framework of the cluster of higher education programmes and the compliance of the attached documents with the requirements established by the accreditation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Article 21 – A group of accreditation experts

For carrying out accreditation, the Centre shall establish a group of experts, whose establishment and activities shall be determined by the accreditation regulations.

Article 22 – Decisions regarding accreditation

1. Decisions regarding accreditation of educational programmes (except for general education programmes, vocational education programmes, and short-cycle education programmes) of an educational institution shall be made by the Accreditation Council in accordance with the accreditation regulations, including based on the opinion of a group of accreditation experts, as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

2. With regard to accreditation there may be four types of decisions on:

a) accreditation;

b) conditional accreditation;

c) denial of accreditation;

d) revocation of accreditation.

3. The term of accreditation of an educational programme shall be 7 years. An educational programme, that was submitted to the Center for accreditation in a calendar year during which the educational programmes classified in the field of study of the said educational programme need not undergo re-accreditation, shall be granted accreditation until the next accreditation deadline for the educational programmes classified in the field of study of the said educational programme.

4. If a decision referred to in paragraph 2(a) or (b) of this Article is made in relation to a regulated higher education programme determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education, the Accreditation Council shall, within the threshold limit of students established for a higher education institution, determine the threshold limit of students during the accreditation period, in accordance with the procedure established by the accreditation regulations.

5. The term of conditional accreditation of an educational programme shall not be more than 4 years. An educational programme, that was submitted to the Center for accreditation in a calendar year during which the educational programmes classified in the field of study of the said educational programme need not undergo re-accreditation, shall be granted conditional accreditation until the next accreditation deadline for the educational programmes classified in the field of study of the said educational programme, but for not more than 4 years.

6. A decision with regard to the conditional accreditation of an educational programme may not be taken twice successively.

7. In the case of expiry or revocation of authorisation, the accreditation shall also be annulled.

8. In the case of the initial and each subsequent accreditation of an educational programme, a decision with regard to accreditation shall be made as provided for by the accreditation regulations, if the educational programme fully and/or mostly meets the accreditation standards.

9. In the case of the initial and each subsequent accreditation of an educational programme, a decision with regard to conditional accreditation shall be made as provided for by the accreditation regulations, if the educational programme partially meets the accreditation standards.

10. A decision with regard to accreditation shall be taken within 180 calendar days after officially submitting to the Centre a document certifying the payment of the accreditation fee.

11. If a decision determined by paragraph 2(c) or (d) of this article is made during an academic year, the Accreditation Council shall have the right, taking into consideration the request of a respective educational institution and the legal interests of the students, and for the purpose of continuity of the study process, irrespective of the remaining term of accreditation, to allow the students, by an appropriate decision, to complete the current academic year on a respective educational programme in accredited mode and to determine the date of entry into force of the decision on revocation of accreditation or on denial of repeated accreditation not later than the date of completion of the current academic year.

12. Timeframes for submitting an accreditation application must provide for the continuity of accreditation of an educational programme.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1933 of 23 December 2017 – website, 11.1.2018

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 22¹ – Increasing the threshold limit of students on regulated higher education programmes determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education

1. A higher education institution shall have the right to submit to the Centre a written application for increasing the threshold limit of students on regulated higher education programmes determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education, within the threshold limit of students established by the Authorisation Council for such higher education institution.

2. The form of a written application to be submitted to the Centre for increasing the threshold limit of students on regulated higher education programmes determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education shall be approved by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

3. The procedure, conditions, and fees for increasing the threshold limit of students on regulated higher education programmes determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education shall be determined by the accreditation regulations.

4. The Accreditation Council shall make a decision on increasing the threshold limit of students or a decision on refusal to increase the threshold limit of students within 90 calendar days from the submission of a written application to the Centre for increasing the threshold limit of students on regulated higher education programmes determined by Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education.

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Article 23 – Verification of the accreditation conditions and revocation of accreditation

1. The Centre shall monitor the compliance of a higher education institution with the accreditation conditions. If the violation of the accreditation conditions is identified, the Accreditation Council shall be authorised to determine not more than 60 days for a higher education institution to remedy shortcomings, unless it is obvious that it will have no effect.

2. The accreditation conditions shall be verified by submitting a self-evaluation report to the Centre, as well as upon the initiative of the Centre.

2¹. A self-evaluation report shall be submitted to the Centre at least three times a year. The timeframes for the submission of a self-evaluation report to the Centre shall be determined by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

3. The Accreditation Council shall be authorised to make a decision to revoke accreditation based on the results of an inspection of a higher education institution, if the higher education institution violates the accreditation conditions.

4. The decision on the revocation of accreditation shall be made within 90 calendar days after the issuance of an order of the director of the Centre regarding the monitoring of the compliance with the accreditation conditions by a higher education institution. This timeframe shall be considered suspended during the period determined by the Accreditation Council for a higher education institution for remedying the shortcomings.

Law of Georgia No 5348 of 25 November 2011 – website, 6.12.2011

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Article 24 – Legal consequences of denial, revocation, or expiry of accreditation

1. If accreditation of a higher education programme of a higher education institution is denied or revoked:

a) a higher education institution shall be deprived of the right to admit students/entrants/candidates for Master’s degree/candidates for doctoral degree to higher education programmes and the Georgian language training programme, the accreditation of which was denied, revoked, or expired;

b) a student whose studies have been financed by the State may, in accordance with Article 22(11) of this Law, continue studies on the same higher education programme for the period (if any) determined by the Accreditation Council and obtain state financing or exercise his/her right to mobility, or move to another accredited higher education programme and transfer the remaining amount of the state financing allocated for him/her to that higher education programme;

c) in accordance with Article 22(11) of this Law, the student’s status of a student, who is studying on an accredited higher education programme or the Georgian language training programme, shall be suspended within five years after the expiry of the period (if any) determined by the Accreditation Council or after the entry into force of the decision of the Accreditation Council on denial or revocation of accreditation, and the student may exercise his/her right to mobility;

d) an entrant, who has passed the Unified National Examinations and acquired the right to be admitted to a higher education programme according to the document of ranking approved by the LEPL National Assessment and Examinations Center, shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility;

e) a candidate for Master’s degree, who has been included in the document of ranking by coefficients of the postgraduate examinations, shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility.

2. In the case of expiry of the term of accreditation of a higher education programme or the Georgian language training programme, on the basis of the decision of the Accreditation Council, a student shall have the right to continue studies on the same educational programme until the end of the current academic semester and to receive state financing. The student's status of the student shall be suspended for 5 years from the end of the current academic semester and he/she shall have the right to exercise his/her right to mobility.

3. (Deleted – 30.3.2022, No 1464).

4. If an accreditation application has been submitted to the Centre in observance of the timeframes for submitting an accreditation application specified in the Accreditation Regulations, and the Centre director has issued an individual administrative act on recognising the higher education institution as an accreditation applicant, the educational programme submitted by the accreditation applicant shall be considered an accredited educational programme within 180 calendar days after the expiry of the term of accreditation, before the entry into force of a decision on accreditation adopted by the Accreditation Council as provided for in Article 22(2)(a), (b) or (c) of this Law.

5. The procedure and conditions for considering an educational programme submitted by an accreditation applicant as an accredited educational programme shall be determined by the Accreditation Regulations.

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Law of Georgia No 1464 of 30 March 2022 – website, 6.4.2022

Law of Georgia No 1162 of 9 December 2025 – website, 12.12.2025

Chapter IV¹– Dispute Resolution Body

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 - website, 7.3.2016

Article 24¹ – Council of appeals

1. The decisions under Article 11(2) and Article 22(2) of this Law may be appealed to the Council of Appeals and/or to a court.

2. Members of the Council of Appeals shall be appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister of Georgia upon the recommendation of the Ministry. Members of the Council of Appeals may not be public officers, members of authorisation and accreditation councils. The powers and rules of operation of the Council of Appeals shall be determined by the authorisation and accreditation regulations, by which its functional independence from education institutions and state bodies is guaranteed. The Minister shall be authorised to set the terms that are different from those determined by the General Administrative Code of Georgia for submitting complaints to the Court of Appeals and for considering relevant complaints by the Council of Appeals.

3. There may be two types of decisions by the Council of Appeals on:

a) sharing authorisation/accreditation council decisions;

b) returning the decisions for the reconsideration by the authorisation/accreditation council.

4. Appealing the decisions of the authorisation/accreditation council to the Council of Appeals and/or to a court shall not cause the suspension of a relevant decision.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Chapter IV²– National Qualifications Framework and Fields of Education Classification

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Article 24² – National Qualifications Framework and its purposes

1. The National Qualifications Framework shall consist of 8 levels. Each level of the National Qualifications Framework determines the complexity of the qualification that combines the descriptors, which are the generalised learning outcomes described by the knowledge and understanding, skills, and responsibility and autonomy.

2. The purposes of the National Qualifications Framework are as follows:

a) classification of qualifications in accordance with the basic principles of the National Qualifications Framework (relevance of the learning outcomes, quality assurance, availability of information related to qualifications);

b) interconnection, administration and development of general education, vocational education and higher education;

c) facilitation of lifelong learning;

d) support of the quality assurance system;

e) ensuring the compatibility, comparability and transparency of qualifications at the international level;

f) facilitation of mobility;

g) facilitation of recognition of the formal education acquired during the period of learning;

h) facilitation of recognition of informal education;

i) informing public of the available qualifications;

j) considering constantly changing demands of the public in the education system, and stimulating the description of their corresponding renewable qualifications.

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Article 24³ – Approval, administration and development of the National Qualifications Framework

1. The National Qualifications Framework shall be approved by the Minister upon the recommendation of the Centre.

2. The procedures for the administration, development and monitoring of the National Qualifications Framework, and for the creation and administration of the electronic registry of qualifications, as well as the procedures and rules for the recognition of informal education shall be approved by the Minister upon the recommendation of the Centre.

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 350 of 16 March 2021 – website, 18.3.2021

Article 24⁴ – Fields of education classification

1. The fields of education classification classifies the fields of education in Georgia and determines the qualifications to be awarded in each field of education.

2. The fields of education classification shall be approved by the Minister upon the recommendation of the Centre.

3. The procedures for the administration, development and monitoring of the fields of education classification shall be approved by an individual administrative act of the director of the Centre.

Law of Georgia No 3437 of 20 September 2018 – website, 5.10.2018

Law of Georgia No 350 of 16 March 2021 – website, 18.3.2021

Chapter V – Authority of the Centre in Verification of Authenticity of Educational Documents and Recognition of Acquired Education

Article 25 – Verification of authenticity of educational documents issued in Georgia

During the verification of authenticity of educational documents issued in Georgia, the Centre shall determine whether the person has undergone an educational programme in full or in part, and whether an appropriate document certifying his/her qualification has been issued to him/her and the compliance of these facts with requirements of the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No 5022 of 27 April 2016 – website, 13.5.2016

Article 25¹ – Recognition of education acquired in Georgia

1. The Centre shall recognise higher education acquired in the occupied territories, higher education acquired by persons admitted to licensed higher education institutions, education acquired by persons who cannot confirm their education or qualification acquired at educational institutions that have been liquidated or that terminated their educational activities, as well as education acquired by persons with international protection and internally displaced persons from the occupied territories of Georgia.

2. The Centre shall be authorised to issue a diploma, a document certifying the recognition of acquired education determined by paragraph 1 of this article.

3. The Ministry shall be authorised to determine a fee for issuing a document specified in paragraph 2 of this article.

Law of Georgia No 5348 of 25 November 2011 – website, 6.12.2011

Law of Georgia No 5639 of 27 December 2011 – website, 9.1.2012

Law of Georgia No 52 of 1 December 2016 – website, 15.12.2016

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Article 26 – Recognition of education or qualification acquired abroad

1. For the recognition of education or qualification acquired abroad, the Centre shall determine:

a) whether an educational document has been issued in the name of the person indicated in the document, and whether an educational institution issuing the document is recognised by the legislation of the country, where the educational institution carries out its educational activities (verification of authenticity);

b) compliance of a qualification acquired abroad with qualifications existing in Georgia (establishment of compliance).

2. The Centre shall recognise education acquired abroad in a remote teaching mode, if such education has been acquired:

a) as a result of remote teaching carried out in a respective foreign country due to pandemic and/or permitted for the purposes of prevention of the spread of pandemic or liquidation of its outcomes;

b) by a student residing in the territory of Georgia, at an educational institution functioning in a Member State of the European Union or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the higher education programme of which is accredited by an organisation operating in a Member State of the European Union or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is a member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and registered in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), and which has an appropriate authority as provided for by the legislation of the respective country, and/or at an educational institution operating in the territory of the United States of America and a higher education programme of which is accredited by an organisation operating in the territory of the United States of America, which has an appropriate authority as provided for by the respective legislation, and the said higher education programme/programmes do not include practical/laboratory/clinical/workplace learning components, and which provide for the passing of internal university exams by students in a non-remote form.

Law of Georgia No 6289 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Decision No 2/7/1528 of 10 November 2023 of the Constitutional Court of Georgia – website, 15.12.2023

Law of Georgia No 4164 of 15 May 2024 – website, 21.5.2024

Chapter VI – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Article 27 – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Article 28 – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Article 29 – (Deleted)

Law of Georgia No 3445 of 20 September 2018 – website, 9.10.2018

Chapter VII – General Principles of Defining Fees and Timeframes for Services Rendered by the Centre

Article 30 – Fees for services rendered by the Centre

1. The fee shall be a mandatory payment, including the value added tax, for the services rendered by the Centre, determined by an act of the Ministry.

2. The fee shall be paid by a non-cash payment, prior to rendering the appropriate services.

3. The fee shall be transferred to the settlement account of the Centre.

Law of Georgia No 5348 of 25 November 2011 – website, 6.12.2011

Article 31 – Payment of fees for services rendered by the Centre, commencement of time determined for services and refund of paid fees

1. Time limits and fees for services rendered by the Centre shall be determined by an act of the Ministry.

2. An interested person shall be obliged to pay the fee determined by an act of the Ministry.

3. The period established by an act of the Ministry for services shall commence on the day following the registration of an application and shall finish upon the expiry of the last day of the period. If the last day of the period is Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday, the following working day shall be considered as the day of the expiry of the timeframe.

4. Paragraph 3 of this article shall not apply to expedited services determined by the act of the Ministry.

5. The procedure for refunding fees paid for services rendered by the Centre shall be determined by an act of the Ministry.

Chapter VIII – Transitional Provisions

Article 32 – Measures related to entry into force of this Law

1. The Government of Georgia shall ensure the compliance of Ordinance No 37 of 21 May 2004 on the Approval of the Statute of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia with this Law, before 15 September 2010.

2. The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia shall ensure the approval of legal acts specified by Article 3(3)(a) and (b) of this Law, before 15 September 2010, and the approval of legal acts specified by Article 3(3)(c-e) of this Law, before 1 March 2011.

3. The President of Georgia, the Government of Georgia, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, and educational institutions shall ensure the compliance of the appropriate legal acts with this Law before 1 March 2011.

4. The Legal Entity under Public Law (LEPL) the National Centre for Education Accreditation shall be reorganised into the LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement. The LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement shall be the successor of the LEPL National Centre for Education Accreditation.

5. The LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement shall be the successor of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia in the field of performed and ongoing activities of the Licensing, Legalisation and Apostille Division within the Legal Issues Department of the Ministry.

6. The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia shall be assigned to take measures necessary for the reorganisation of the LEPL National Centre for Education Accreditation into the LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement. Until the completion of these measures, the functions of the LEPL National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement shall be performed by the LEPL National Centre for Education Accreditation, while the functions of the Licensing, Legalisation and Apostille Division within the Legal Issues Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia shall be performed by the Ministry.

Article 32¹ – Authorisation of Orthodox theological higher education institutions

Orthodox theological higher education institutions, established by the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church on the basis of this Law, shall be considered authorised under this Law until 1 January 2015. From 1 January 2015, the Orthodox theological higher education institutions shall be subject to authorisation as provided for by the legislation of Georgia.

Law of Georgia No 188 of 28 December 2012 – website, 29.12.2012

Article 32² – Repeated authorisation of educational institutions and accreditation of educational programmes

1. A higher education institution, the decision on the authorisation of which was made in 2011–2015, shall have its 5-year authorisation term extended by 1 year.

2. Higher education programmes and Georgian language training education programmes, which were accredited in 2011-2012, shall be considered accredited according to the stages of repeated accreditation of those educational programmes determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia. Before 1 September 2017, the stages of repeated accreditation in 2018–2022 of the higher education programmes and Georgian language training education programmes accredited in 2011-2012 shall be determined by an ordinance of the Government of Georgia according to the disciplines determined by the ‘List of disciplines, fields/specialties, sub-fields/specialisations and vocational specialisations’ (Annex No 4), approved by Order No 120/ნ of 10 December 2010 of the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia ‘On approval of the national qualification framework’.

2¹. The Bachelor of Education teacher training programmes accredited in 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 (the Bachelor of Education teacher training programme for primary general education level teachers, and a teacher education training programme which is part of the Bachelor of Education programme) shall be considered accredited before the beginning of 2022-2023 academic year.

2². A general education institution, the current term of authorisation of which is expired in 2020, shall have its term of authorisation extended to 31 December 2020 inclusive.

2³. A higher education institution, the current term of authorisation of which is expired before 1 March 2021, shall have its term of authorisation extended to 1 July 2021.

2⁴. A higher education programme (except for the educational programmes accredited in 2011-2012), the current term of accreditation of which is expired in 2020, shall have its term of accreditation extended to 31 December 2020 inclusive.

2⁵. A certified medical worker’s educational programme (except for the educational programmes accredited in 2011-2012), the current term of accreditation of which is expired in 2020, shall have its term of accreditation extended to 1 July 2021.

3. Before 1 January 2018, the verification by higher education institutions of the compliance with the authorisation conditions as provided for by Article 15 of this Law shall be performed in accordance with the authorisation standards applicable before 1 September 2016.

4. Higher education programmes and Georgian language training programmes accredited as of 1 June 2022 shall be considered accredited in accordance with the stages of re-accreditation of those educational programmes established by the Minister's order. The stages of re-accreditation in 2022–2028 of higher education programmes and Georgian language training programmes, which have been accredited as of 1 June 2022, shall be determined by the Minister's order, by 1 July 2022, according to the fields of study provided for in the fields of education classification.

5. A higher education institution shall be authorised to implement a higher education programme, which is not accredited as of 1 June 2022, until the expiry of the accreditation deadline established for the field of study under paragraph 4 of this Article. After the expiry of the said timeframe, it shall be inadmissible to implement the non-accredited higher education programme.

6. Higher education programmes and Georgian language training programmes accredited as of 1 June 2022, the accreditation timeframes of which expire after 2 years from the expiry of the re-accreditation timeframes established by the Minister’s order as provided for in paragraph 4 of this Article, shall be considered accredited until the expiry of the next accreditation timeframe established for the respective field of study determined by paragraph 4 of this Article.

7. The list of higher education programmes and Georgian language training programmes referred to in paragraphs 4 and 6 of this article shall be determined by the Minister’s order by 1 July 2022.

8. The timeframes referred to in paragraphs 4 and 6 of this article shall not apply to the higher education programmes and Georgian language training programmes being implemented as of 1 June 2022, which have been granted conditional accreditation.

9. The timeframes referred to in paragraphs 4-6 of this article shall not apply to the higher education programmes, which have been accredited by a foreign organisation with appropriate competence recognised by the Centre, and at the same time, the accreditation granted by such organisation is recognised by the Centre in accordance with the procedure established by the accreditation regulations.

Law of Georgia No 4784 of 19 February 2016 – website, 7.3.2016

Law of Georgia No 1224 of 26 July 2017 – website, 28.7.2017

Law of Georgia No 5568 of 13 December 2019 – website, 19.12.2019

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Law of Georgia No 1429 of 16 March 2022 – website, 24.3.2022

Article 32³ – Apostille certification/legalisation of documents certifying education acquired after 1 September 2010

Apostille certification/legalisation of educational documents shall not be allowed if the education is acquired at a licensed higher education institution after 1 September 2010.

Law of Georgia No 5022 of 27 April 2016 – website, 13.5.2016

Article 32⁴ – Suspension of the term of administrative proceedings related to the authorisation applications submitted to the Centre from 1 January 2020 to 1 October 2020

The term of administrative proceedings related to the authorisation applications submitted to the Centre from 1 January 2020 to 1 October 2020 for acquiring the status of a higher education institution, or the term of administrative proceedings determined by the Authorisation Regulations in relation to a higher education institution which, upon the decision of the Director of the Centre, cannot be carried out without the visit of an appropriate group of authorisation experts to that higher education institution, shall be suspended until 1 January 2021.

Law of Georgia No 6284 of 12 June 2020 – website, 15.6.2020

Article 32⁵ – Rules for obtaining the right to implement preschool education programmes/school readiness programmes

1. A general education institution established in the form of a legal entity under private law shall be authorised, within the period specified in Article 28(6) of the Law of Georgia on Early and Preschool Education, to obtain the right to implement preschool education programmes/school readiness programmes without establishing an independent legal entity, in accordance with the temporary procedures for awarding, terminating and suspending the authorisation of early and/or preschool education institutions approved on the basis of Article 28(8) of the Law of Georgia on Early and Preschool Education.

2. The implementation of a preschool education programme/school readiness programme by a general education institution established in the form of a legal entity under private law, without obtaining the right provided for in this article, may serve as the basis for the revocation of authorisation of the general education institution.

Law of Georgia No 3960 of 15 December 2023 – website, 25.12.2023

Article 32⁶ – Appealing the decisions of the Authorisation Council of early and preschool education institutions

Within the period specified in Article 28(6) of the Law of Georgia on Early and Preschool Education, decisions made by the Authorisation Council of early and preschool education institutions may be appealed with the Council of Appeals determined by Article 24¹ of this Law, in accordance with the temporary procedures for awarding, terminating and suspending the authorisation of early and/or preschool education institutions approved on the basis of Article 28(8) of the Law of Georgia on Early and Preschool Education.

Law of Georgia No 3960 of 15 December 2023 – website, 25.12.2023

Article 32⁷ – Determining the threshold limit of students at regulated higher education programmes provided for in Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education

1. Before 31 December 2027, inclusive, the Authorisation Council of higher education institutions shall, when making a decision referred to in Article 11(2)(a) of this Law, also determine, according to the procedure established by the authorisation regulations, the threshold limit of students at regulated higher education programmes provided for in Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education within the threshold limit of students established for a higher education institution, where such regulated higher education programmes are indicated in the authorisation application submitted by an applicant, for which the Accreditation Council has not yet determined the threshold limit of students.

2. Before 31 December 2027, inclusive, the Authorisation Council of higher education institutions shall, when making a decision on increasing the threshold limit of students as provided for in Article 16²(3) of this Law, also determine, according to the procedure established by the authorisation regulations, the threshold limit of students at regulated higher education programmes provided for in Article 75(2)(b) of the Law of Georgia on Higher Education within the threshold limit of students established for a higher education institution, where an application that is applying to the Centre with a request to increase the threshold limit of students implements the aforementioned regulated higher education programme, for which the Accreditation Council has not yet determined the threshold limit of students.

Law of Georgia No 4300 of 27 June 2024 – website, 4.7.2024

Chapter IX – Final Provision

Article 33 – Entry into force of the Law

This Law shall enter into force on 1 September 2010.

President of Georgia M. Saakashvili

Tbilisi,

21 July 2010

No3531–რს