Opening a private school unfolds in two layers: founding as a private-law legal person (Article 31 of the Law on General Education) and the mandatory authorization for general educational activity (Article 32). Instead of the English-language "private school licensing" frame, the page is carried by the Georgian authorization regime, while the specifics of a private school are regulated by a separate Article 33-2 — its rights and duties towards the pupil and the risk of revocation of authorization.
The organizational-legal form of founding — Article 31
Under paragraph 1 of Article 31, a general educational institution/school is a public-law legal person created under the Law on Public-Law Legal Persons, or a private-law entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial legal person. A private-law legal person is authorised to carry out general educational activity without creating another independent legal person — an existing company or non-profit person may itself become the carrier of the school. The institution ensures education at the primary, basic and/or secondary level.
Authorization — like any other school
The private school is likewise governed by Article 32: as a result of authorization the legal person obtains the status of a general educational institution and may issue a state-recognised document; the standards are determined by the authorization statute; the term is 9 years; and the independent authorization units are the primary, basic, secondary, foreign-language and multi-municipality programmes. An institution founded in private-law form may additionally acquire the right to implement a preschool education and school-readiness programme.
The specific duties of a private school — Article 33-2
Where a financial debt arises, the private school is obliged to let the pupil complete the current semester; termination of status is possible only after the end of the semester, within a reasonable period before the next semester begins, in order to ensure the pupil's unimpeded mobility. Upon the emergence of the debt the school must warn the parent in writing, set a reasonable period for fulfilment and explain the consequences of non-fulfilment; and it must notify the Ministry and the parent of a termination decision no later than the following day.
Document circulation is also precisely regulated: on a pupil's mobility to another school, the private school must hand over the personal file and enrollment documents to the receiving school within 3 working days of the request and application, and return any prepaid tuition to the parent within 5 working days. Non-fulfilment of these paragraphs is a ground for revocation of authorization — the law places the pupil's interest above the private school's commercial interest.
The norms extending to private schools
Under paragraph 6 of Article 31, Chapters I-IV of the law, the respective chapter and Chapters XI-1 and XII extend to private schools — the pupil's rights, the standards of the study process and supervisory relations sit in the same framework as in any other school. For a defined public-law legal person the Ministry may also establish a different governance procedure, structure and requirements.
The practical conclusion is simple: a private school operates on the market but does not exit the state standard — it enters the unified system through authorization, and its internal rules must remain within the law. In an opening plan the sequence matters too: first the legal person and its charter, then preparation and application under the authorization standards, and finally the internal rules of dealing with pupils, which must track Article 33-2 almost word for word.
Choosing the private form is for the founder a chain of three decisions: first the organizational-legal form — a public-law legal person or a private-law commercial/non-commercial unit (Article 31); then authorization — the status of a general educational institution with a 9-year term (Article 32); and finally the integration of the specific duties — protection of the semester, warning, communication with the ministry and the transfer of documents within 3 working days (Article 33-2). If each step of the chain is not planned in advance, the next automatically becomes more expensive.
And the principal clarification: "private" here is the form of the carrier, not a release from the standard — chapters I-IV, the relevant chapter and chapters XI-1 and XII extend to the private school as well. Being on the market and integration into the state system do not contradict each other here: the first is a source of income, the second a guarantee of the pupil's right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently asked about opening a private school.
Which legal form may a private school take?
A private-law entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial legal person; a separate legal person for educational activity is not required.
Does a private school need authorization?
Yes — like a public one: status and the right to issue a state document for 9 years, under the authorization statute's standards.
What happens with a debt?
The pupil must complete the current semester; afterwards status may be terminated within a reasonable period, with a written warning and secured mobility.
Within what period are documents transferred?
To the receiving school — within 3 working days; prepaid tuition is returned to the parent within 5 working days.
Does the authorization of a private school differ from a public one?
Not in procedure: the same Article 32, the same 9-year term, the same standards; it differs in additional duties and in the right to a pre-school programme available to the private form.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team will determine the organizational-legal form, structure the authorization application and draft the internal procedures required by Article 33-2 — the rules of debt, mobility and document circulation whose violation destroys authorization. Contact us — opening a private school requires a unified legal plan.