Special education law in Georgia does not exist as a separately codified statute: the norms are embedded in the Law on General Education and regulate three interconnected matters — concepts, rights and procedures. This page is the common frame of the three: what counts as a special educational need, what inclusive education means, and how the financing is arranged. Detailed procedures and the catalogue of rights are unfolded on separate pages; here is the general picture.
The concepts on which everything stands
The law's definitions assemble the whole architecture of special education: inclusive education is an equally accessible educational process within which education is provided for every pupil taking account of his or her individual educational needs and capability. Psycho-educational assessment and consultation is a service of the mandate service, within which the person is assessed, the best form of education is selected and consultation is provided. On these concepts stands the entire system of assessment, enrollment and study formats — and that is precisely why reading them correctly is the first step.
The principle of accessibility
The law's accessibility norm writes the state's duty: the state ensures the right of every pupil — including a pupil with special educational needs — to receive general education as close as possible to his or her place of residence, in the state or native language. Where this right cannot be exercised through the standard voucher, the state provides such pupils with an increased voucher or additional funding within a targeted programme. The financial guarantee opens in this way: need is not a barrier on which the family alone must bear the responsibility.
What the law regulates and what the rest of the law does
The special-education norms of the Law on General Education read as three knots: concepts and the assessment procedure; the pupil's rights — adapted study plans, state-funded human resources, social integration; and procedures — the enrollment rule and the study formats. Each knot is detailed on a separate page of our platform; the purpose of this page is to give the common frame — where everything begins and how it connects.
What is non-Georgian
The American special-education legislation — IDEA with its concepts — is a non-Georgian system and does not operate in Georgia. The Georgian page is carried by the SEN norms of the Law on General Education: the individual study plan, the increased voucher and the mandate service's assessment must be read precisely in this law's language. We also note: the separate statute connected with the professional education of the police and special services does not correspond to SEN subject-matter and is not connected with special education.
One more detail of the common frame — the targeting of the financing: with the increased voucher the ministry ensures, among other things, the openness of general education in the public school and its equal accessibility for all, the introduction of inclusive and multilingual education, the improvement of material, programme and human resources, appropriate remuneration for staff, and the uninterrupted conduct of the learning process. This list shows that the financial instrument is systemic: it simultaneously serves the pupil's right and the school's capacity to satisfy that right, so a debate about the voucher is always two-sided.
How the Individual Study Plan Is Written
The individual study plan is based on the national curriculum: adaptation does not change the content but shapes the path and pace of teaching. The plan is created by adapting the national curriculum to the pupil’s special educational needs and is part of the school curriculum; it works together with the multilingual and inclusive education mechanisms and with the resource of the mandate service. Alongside it, the law defines an alternative study plan — for pupils with severe or profound intellectual or multiple disorders, including multiple sensory disorders — and an expanded study plan, oriented towards strengthening the specific competences of pupils with sensory disorders. The individual plan serves the pupil’s teaching, social adaptation and integration into social life, and the state ensures the funding of the relevant human resource and services.
Frequently asked questions
Below we answer the most common questions about special education law.
Is there a separate law on special education?
No — the norms are embedded in the Law on General Education: concepts, rights and procedures are assembled into one system.
What is inclusive education?
An equally accessible educational process where education is received taking account of every pupil's individual needs and capability.
How is it financed?
Through the standard voucher; where needed — an increased voucher or additional funding within a targeted programme.
Does IDEA operate in Georgia?
No — it is United States legislation; the Georgian system is governed by Georgian law.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The Legal.ge team explains the concepts, identifies the knot of your case — assessment, rights or procedure — and directs you to the detailed page with concrete steps. In a written consultation you receive a general guide for your situation. Contact us through the Legal.ge website.