The Statutory Term — Authorization, Not Licensing
In Georgian law, opening a primary school does not proceed through „licensing“ — the authorization procedure applies. Under the definition of Article 2 of the Law on General Education, authorization is the procedure of acquiring the status of a general educational institution, whose purpose is to ensure the satisfaction of the standards necessary for issuing a state document confirming general education.
This page rests precisely on that statutory term — the term and the content correspond to the law, while a „licensing“ frame does not exist in the Georgian system.
The Framework of the Primary Level
The primary level is the foundation of the educational system: primary and basic education are compulsory, and a pupil may not be left outside the system before completing the basic level. A holder of a document confirming any level of general education has the right to continue to the next level throughout the territory of the country.
A sensitive detail is also in the law: a person with special educational needs who has no educational history may, on the basis of a psycho-educational assessment conclusion, be enrolled in the primary or basic level without external studies, in the class corresponding to his age or not more than 3 grades lower.
The Procedure and Term of Authorization
Under Article 32 of the law, as a result of authorization a legal entity acquires the status of a general educational institution and issues a state-recognised document. Among the independent authorization programmes the primary-level programme is listed separately — the authorization of a primary school thus rests on a separate authorization unit.
The term of authorization is 9 years. The standards are determined by the authorization statute — and the preparation of the application rests precisely on substantiating those standards.
Activity Limited by the Programme
An authorised institution is entitled to carry out only the general educational programme indicated in the authorization application, and the programme whose right of implementation it acquired during the validity of the authorization in the manner prescribed by legislation.
Acting within the programme indicated in the application is thus a directly binding restriction — for the primary level this means that moving to another level requires acquiring a separate right.
Alongside authorization stands the question of foundation: the law regulates the rules of foundation, activity, reorganisation and liquidation of every general educational institution — the whole life cycle of a school is thus determined by a single frame, from birth to closure.
An institution founded as a private-law legal entity also receives an additional possibility: without creating a separate legal entity it may acquire the right to implement a preschool education programme — an operator of a primary school can thus widen its spectrum.
Where authorization is cancelled, the pupil is credited with the educational programme completed by the relevant moment — the law continues to protect the pupil even where the institution loses its status.
Preparation of the authorization application proceeds along three directions: substantiation of the standards, demonstration of the programme's specifics and confirmation of the institution's capacity — each direction requires its documentary package.
Characteristic of the primary level are also the age frame and the full spectrum of subject groups: these are the parameters by which the authorization standards describe this level, and precisely they must underlie the detailed part of the application.
The 9-year term of authorization builds the whole school cycle around planning: from the very moment of the first authorization it is visible when the renewal barrier arrives, and stage-by-stage growth fits into that interval — the transition from a primary programme to basic education stands on a separate authorization unit and requires a separate application. This logic builds the founder's calendar in advance: satisfaction of the standards arises not once but on each unit.
The detail of inclusion is part of the same frame: a person with special educational needs who has no educational history may, on the basis of a psycho-educational assessment conclusion, be enrolled without external studies in a class corresponding to age or no more than 3 classes lower — accessibility is thus built together with continuity, and this circumstance must also be taken into account when preparing the application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently raised about primary school authorization.
How is a primary school opened?
Through authorization — the institution of licensing does not exist in this sphere.
For what term is authorization granted?
9 years.
Is the primary programme a separate unit?
Yes — the primary-level programme is an independent authorization unit.
Can one move to another level?
Only by acquiring a separate right during the authorization period.
Where are the standards?
In the authorization statute — the application rests on their substantiation.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team will prepare the primary-level authorization application, determine the plan for substantiating the required standards and help plan the expansion of programmes during the authorization period.
Contact us on Legal.ge — a properly built application is the start of the full cycle.