The Municipal Development Fund Implements school projects in accordance with the priorities and recommendations issued by the Ministry of Education

“Development of educational infrastructure in Georgia is one of the most important priorities of the state. The Municipal Development Fund implements school projects submitted by ESIDA in accordance with the priorities and recommendations of the Ministry of Education,” stated Minister of Infrastructure Revaz Sokhadze during the interpellation procedure in the Parliament of Georgia.

 

He explained that as of September 1 of current year, the Educational and Scientific Infrastructure Development Agency (ESIDA) was closed down, and the Municipal Development Fund of Georgia was designated to implement school infrastructure construction and full rehabilitation projects.

According to Revaz Sokhadze, pursuant to the priorities set by the Ministry of Education, the Fund is operating in two main areas – ongoing construction and rehabilitation and design of schools.

 

“The Ministry of Education determines the priorities – where and which schools require rehabilitation or new construction. We are starting implementation of the relevant procedures in those locations, where the Ministry has already identified problems. Specific school-related information has been forwarded to the Levan Samkharauli National Bureau of Forensics. I understand that the Bureau is under heavy load currently and cannot cope with all the requests at once, which is completely understandable. Therefore, we will need some time to continue the process comprehensively,” the Minister noted.  

 

 According to Revaz Sokhadze, at this stage, out of 77 schools transferred by ESIDA to the balance of the Municipal Development Fund, 53 - are construction sites, 14 - are schools to be rehabilitated, and 10 - are design projects. A complex analysis of information and documentation is underway for all of them.

 

The Minister also explained that the Ministry of Education has prioritized 135 schools, and the Fund is awaiting opinions of the Samkharauli Forensics Bureau regarding their condition.

 

“If the opinion specifies that the school is not subject to rehabilitation, we will immediately start construction by using typical designs that are already under preparation. If the opinion is alternative, the Municipal Development Fund will act accordingly,” Revaz Sokhadze stated.

 

The Minister named the existing challenges as: non-fulfillment of permit conditions issued by local governments, lack of solutions in the construction process without design-build, changes in cadastral data, and difficulties in analyzing documentation. Revaz Sokhadze also noted that these issues require some time for the projects to be implemented smoothly.

 

Design tenders have already been announced, which inter alia include the design of Public School No. 2 in Abasha designated for 450 students, it is a typical design that will be used for other cities as well. The design documentation for 600, 800, 1600 and 2000 student schools is also under preparation,” stated the Minister of Infrastructure.