GHN interviewed ESFTUG president, Maia Kobakhidze about the positive and negative sides of the Bailiff institute in Georgian schools. As Ms Kobakhidze stated, teachers union is not against safe school concept, however the organization is concerned with growing duties and rights for school bailiffs.
ESFTUG president said that according to Law on Public Education of Georgia, bailiffs are obliged to monitor observance of school internal regulations. This term makes them stand higher than pupil, parent and teacher, and take teachers’ role of upbringing children. Ms Kobakhidze added that the trade union has spoken about the issue publicly several times and even wrote an official letter to Parliament of Georgia but without a tangible result. The Ministry of Education and Science also ignores any kind of recommendations and refuses to cooperate with ESFTUG on problematic matters.