Starting January 2013, as a follow-up to the Literacy Campaign, members of ANI’s Gori Youth Center have delivered free classes in Georgian language to preschool-aged youngsters in the village of Tedotsminda - a buffer zone, which is densely populated by ethnic Azerbaijani communities.

Young activists of the Georgian Language Literacy Campaign teach ethnically Azerbaijani preschool children basic Georgian twice a week to prepare them for school and foster their integration. Similar to other ethnic minorities, Azerbaijani children in Tedotsminda have poor Georgian language skills. If they go to a Georgian school, they will have to meet major struggles with language barriers before they engage fully in learning process and perform well, academically. This, typically, determines the parents’ choice to bring their children to Russian or Azerbaijani language schools, since they themselves have insufficient Georgian language skills schools to support their children in preparation of lessons.

Given such circumstances, promoting Georgian language education at preschool level is key in promoting children’s smooth transition to Georgian-language general education system, their ultimate integration and future success.

For more information on this initiative, check the feature broadcasted on Georgian Public Broadcaster TV Programme ‘Our Yard’ at:http://1tv.ge/video/16398