Six teachers, selected by the Educators and Scientists Free Trade Union of Georgia (ESFTUG), visited the Kingdom of Denmark during September 1-6, 2019. The delegation was led by Giorgi Nozadze- education expert and the advisor of the ESFTUG president and Mari Alugishvili the Executive Vice President of the same organization.
The purpose of the visit of the Georgian delegation to Denmark was to study Danish educational policy, school programs, formal and non-formal learning environment. Georgian teachers were introduced to the European social dialogue mechanisms between the Danish social partners, the main aspects of the close partnership between the trade unions and the Ministry of Education, which share a common goal of providing everyone with quality education.
The implementation of the Danish-Georgian Exchange Program was made possible through the partnership and support of the project "Developing School and Education Policy Advocacy Opportunities in Georgia in Collaboration with the ESFTUG," which has been implemented since 2017 by ESFTUG in cooperation with the Danish National Union of Upper Secondary School Teachers (GL). GL comprises 97% of Denmark's upper-secondary level teachers nationwide and plays an important role both nationally and internationally in the development and promotion of educational policy.
A content-intensive and exciting program for the members of the Georgian delegation was prepared by Hans Laugesen, Senior Consultant of the International Programs of the Education Policy Division of GL.
In Copenhagen, at the headquarters of GL, members of the Georgian delegation saw presentations on Danish education policies and challenges, including Danish teachers' working conditions and trade union roles, as well as key aspects of the Danish Ministry of Education's objectives, visions, activities and partnerships.
ESFTUG expresses its gratitude to the leadership of GL, who took into account their interests during the visit of the Georgian delegation to Denmark. Meetings were held with trade union organizations of different education levels in Denmark, which will promote deepening of cooperation. Official meetings were held with Danish vocational education, early education and education leaders and experts. Among the invited speakers was the President of the Danske Gymnasieelevers Sammenslutning (DGS). The youth organization DGS operates nationally and works closely with Danish education trade unions and education stakeholders.
In the second part of the working day, a meeting was held between the expert teachers of the Danish-Georgian project and the education expert Giorgi Nozadze made a presentation: "Secondary School Education in Georgia - Challenges and Responses" The Executive Vice President of ESFTUG presented “Information on the activities, results and plans of the ESFTUG, the ongoing partnership and negotiations with the Ministry of Education.” The members of the Georgian delegation had the opportunity to engage in discussions and share Danish experiences and practices, together to identify and plan the tasks to be accomplished under the Danish-Georgian project.
The official day was summed up by GL President Thomas Kepler. He addressed the participants of the Danish-Georgian project with a welcoming speech, wishing success to both- teachers and project authors. At the end of the day, the participants moved to an informal setting.
In the framework of the exchange program, Danish expert teachers planned programs for their Georgian counterparts during visits to various types of higher education schools, including formal and non-formal education and adult education centers. Georgian teachers attended lessons, met with Danish colleagues and students, including school administration officials themselves, reporting on school activities, discussing effective mechanisms for collaboration between teachers, students and the administration. Georgian teachers were introduced to the Danish teaching and learning methods and environments. For four days, the Georgian delegation visited urban and rural schools from Copenhagen to the far north or south.
It is also worth noting that despite busy schedules, Danish colleagues offered visitors a small cultural program, including visiting museums, which also served as a basis for sharing the practices.
In the second phase of the project, 2019-2020 Danish expert teachers will conduct six four-day training seminars on the following topics: “written assignments and summative assessment”, “formative assessment”, “classroom management”, “21st century skills”, “Differentiated Learning” and “lesson planning.” The project aims to support the creation of a collaborative environment between training seminars and teachers, as well as enhancing the role of teaching in the development of educational policy in Georgian schools.
It should be noted that with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, in the first phase of the Danish-Georgian partnership and support project 2017-2018, 170 secondary school teachers from 40 public schools of Georgia were able to participate in Danish expert-teacher trainings: “School democratic management culture", "summative/formative assessment and feedback culture", "using digital technologies in teaching" and "student-centered teaching-learning environment with modern pedagogical methods."
Taking into account the regional, ethnic and geographical criteria of Georgia, Georgian facilitator teachers participating in the exchange program selected by ESFTUG are: Lia Chkhaidze, Tbilisi public school N32, Georgian language and literature teacher; Ekaterine Chelidze, Tkibuli public school N6 geography mentor teacher; Natia Gabroshvili, Gori public school N7, Georgian language and literature teacher; Jaba Labadze, history teacher at Ekvtime Takaishvili Khashuri Municipality Surami public school N2. The member of the top five finalists of the Teachers’ National Award 2017; Azniv Kirakosian, Akhaltsikhe public school N4 special teacher of Georgian as a second language, Armenian speaking trainer; Muradkhan Eminov, Gardabani public school N4 and Gardabani municipality Kalanino public school Mathematics teacher, Azeri trainer.

Within the framework of the project, they will also hold informational meetings and workshops at regional level with beneficiaries to share Danish practices and experiences.
Danish National Union of Upper Secondary School Teachers (GL) in partnership with ESFTUG will also facilitate the continuous process of cooperation and sharing of experiences between the two countries' schools. To this end, in 2019, 10 public schools of Tbilisi and Rustavi hosted the teachers and students of Danish high schools.
ESFTUG continues to work to enhance teacher qualification and support professional development. The second phase of the Danish support and partnership project will give us the opportunity to contribute to the creation of a better educational process through the joint efforts of the participating direct and indirect beneficiary teachers.