The Authorization Procedure for Preschool Institutions
In order to provide early and preschool upbringing and education services, an institution is obliged to undergo authorization — this requirement is established directly by law, and without it the lawful provision of preschool services is impossible. Article 14 provides that the procedure for undergoing authorization, as well as for its suspension and termination, is determined by a decree of the Government of Georgia. Authorization is carried out by the relevant structural unit of the municipality mayor's office, which verifies the compliance of the institution's conditions with the requirements established by the law and by subordinate normative acts.
It is also important that authorization is free of charge. The municipal body is obliged to keep a registry of institutions, to record data in it in accordance with the procedure approved by the Government, to ensure the publicity of the data and to transmit them to the National Statistics Office. The relevant structural unit of the mayor's office is responsible for the accuracy of the data submitted. In practice, this means that authorization status is public information and parents can verify it. At the same time, the procedure for keeping the registry and the list of data and indicators to be entered are agreed at the central level — this ensures uniformity of approach across municipalities and leaves the institutions a previously known space of transparent expectations.
Authorization Conditions and Inspection Criteria
Article 15 sets the conditions of authorization. A legal entity seeking authorization or an authorized institution satisfies the conditions if: learning and teaching are conducted in accordance with the state standards of preschool upbringing and education, including the educational state standard of school readiness; the building, infrastructure and material-technical base comply with the relevant technical regulation approved by the Government; sanitary-hygienic conditions and the organisation of nutrition likewise comply with the relevant technical regulation; and the qualifications and experience of human resources meet the professional standard for educator-pedagogues and the standards set by the municipality for other staff. In organising nutrition, account must be taken not only of the procedure but also of the nutritional value of the ration — the law links both aspects to compliance with the technical regulation. This detailed approach means that an inspection covers the pedagogical as well as the technical and sanitary sides, and each direction requires separate substantiation.
After authorization has been obtained, a violation of these requirements entails the suspension or termination of authorization. This means that authorization is not a one-off formality: responsibility for the standards remains on the institution permanently, and an inspection may be carried out at any time. That is why the completeness of documentation and the maintenance of conditions is a daily management task. The requirements of the state standard, the technical regulations and the professional standard work together: the quality of the pedagogical process cannot suffice if the building, hygiene or staff do not meet the standard, and vice versa.