Opening a basic school in the Georgian system is not subject to "licensing" — the procedure used is authorization under Article 32 of the Law on General Education. The basic level is an independent authorization unit: it covers grades VII-IX, and the right to implement it is acquired through a separate authorization. This page explains the framework of the basic level, the substance of authorization and the opportunities that exist beyond a full school.
Authorization, not a "licence" — Article 32
As a result of authorization a legal person obtains the status of a general educational institution and is authorised to issue a state-recognised document confirming general education. The standards are determined by the authorization statute, and the term is 9 years. The general educational programme of the basic level is in the list of independent programmes of paragraph 4 of Article 32 — authorization is possible both together with a full school and at the basic level alone.
The legal framework of the basic level — Article 2
Under Article 2 the basic level covers 3 years — grades VII-IX; the three levels of complete general education together amount to no less than 11 and no more than 12 years. The learning outcomes of the basic level correspond to the generalized learning outcomes defined for level 2 of the National Qualifications Framework.
Basic education carries special weight: it is precisely before completing the basic level that leaving a pupil outside the education system is prohibited by law, and education at the primary and basic levels is compulsory. A holder of a level document has the right to continue at the next level throughout the territory of Georgia.
The substance of authorization in practice
The institution may implement only the programme indicated in the authorization application and a programme the right to which it acquires during the authorization period. If the authorization is revoked, the pupil is credited with the programme completed by the respective moment — a guarantee protecting the right to continue studies.
The law also gives additional opportunities: a general educational institution may, without creating a separate legal person, implement basic and secondary vocational educational programmes, a state-language preparation programme, and vocational training or retraining programmes. For institutions founded by the state or with its participation, the authorization statute may also define different conditions.
The basic-level document and the onward path
Completing the basic level ends with the document confirming basic general education — the certificate — and it is this document that opens the door to the secondary level: a holder of any level's document has the right to continue throughout Georgia. Besides the classic route, complete general education may also be obtained through a secondary vocational programme with integrated secondary-level outcomes — in that case both a diploma and a document of complete general education are issued.
The practical stages of authorization must also be planned: choosing the legal form, preparing compliance with the authorization standards — teaching staff, learning environment, programme documentation — and finally submitting the application only for the programmes actually planned. Each additional level requires a separate application, and this is part of planning, not a formality.
Authorization in this system is a status-acquisition procedure: its purpose is to ensure the standards necessary for issuing the state certificate of general education — licensing and the final document are links of one chain. Distance learning belongs to the same frame: the law requires proper planning of the curriculum and appropriate methods of organization, while the externate is a route to the general-education document through overcoming the achievement level set by the national curriculum. A school preparing for licensing is therefore assessed in three directions at once — the curriculum, the environment and the personnel — and the file must show all three together, because the decision on status rests on the whole of the evidence rather than on any single direction.
Frequently asked questions
Below we answer the questions most frequently asked about opening a basic school.
Does a basic school need a "licence"?
No — the basic level too uses authorization: for 9 years it grants the status and the right to issue a state document.
Which grades are in the basic level?
Grades VII-IX — a 3-year level whose outcomes correspond to level 2 of the Qualifications Framework.
Is authorization at the basic level alone possible?
Yes — the basic-level programme is an independent authorization unit, like the primary and secondary ones.
Why is basic education compulsory?
Leaving a pupil outside the system before completing the basic level is prohibited by law — the primary and basic levels are compulsory.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team will assess your plan for the basic level — alone or together with a full school, prepare the legal part of the authorization application and determine which additional programmes can be implemented by the same legal person. Contact us — basic-level authorization begins with the right start.