Georgia to expand Chinese language teaching in schools

Tbilisi and Beijing have agreed to cooperate in expanding Chinese language teaching in Georgia, with a memorandum signed by Georgian Education Minister Givi Mikanadze and Yu Yunfeng, Director of the Beijing Centre for Language Education and Cooperation.

The document provides support for Georgian Chinese language teachers in professional development, additional financial incentives for educators, the exchange of teaching materials and experience, as well as joint educational and cultural activities, Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Officials in Tbilisi said a joint working group will be established to coordinate the initiative and is expected to begin operating soon.

The signing ceremony took place in Beijing. Mikanadze and his first deputy, Levan Ghvishiashvili, inspected the centre’s educational infrastructure and discussed with Chinese counterparts the use of artificial intelligence in Chinese language instruction.

In spring 2025, Georgia’s Ministry of Education announced plans to introduce Chinese as a second foreign language in public schools, citing growing student demand.

Currently, two foreign languages are mandatory in Georgia’s public schools. English is introduced from the first grade, while a second foreign language is chosen in the fifth grade. Schools must offer at least two language options, with Russian, German, French, and Italian among the most common choices, depending on staffing and resources.

At present, Chinese is available in no more than 15 schools nationwide.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov