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.