Validation of non-formal learning in Georgia

While VNFIL system is rather at its early stages of implementation in vocational education system, it is well established in general education. Here the extramural exams allowing applicants from outside the formal education system to get the learning outcomes achieved independently, without going to a general education institution, recognized for any subject at each grade and for all three – primary, basic and secondary cycles of general education. The process is called the certification of education acquired through external studies/externship (Externship Exams) and allows applicants to get their learning outcomes assessed and validated vis-à-vis general education programs of targeted subject/grade/cycle. 

The Law of Georgia on General Education of 2005 (together with the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) Decree 15N of 2010 on Certification of Education Acquired through External Studies/Externship creates the legal bases for VNFIL in general education system. The assessment, recognition and validation within externship is done through a written examination and is administered by the MoES directly, or through its regional offices- Education Resource Centres and schools. The examination instruments are developed by schools themselves and/or resource centers. The exams for full general education certification is directly administered by the MoES. The MoES is authorized to allocate external observers on examination sites if and as needed. The applicants are entitled for a consultation for the certification process, and programs that will be covered within examinations. 

The validation of non-formal of GE seems quite demanded in Georgia. The number of annual beneficiaries varies between 1500-12500 applicants (0.5%-2.5% of total general education students).The validation users are different groups: emigrant Georgian families to come back and continue their studies in Georgia; Individuals who could not attend formal education for some personal reasons (mostly illness or migration); graduates of general education programs with no formal recognition in Georgia, intending to continue higher education in Georgia (general education certificate is a prerequisite for the eligibility for a state grant for higher education). 

Considering the number of validations, externship exams seem to be increasingly used by general education students to find an alternative way to attending general education schools. The MoES and all practitioners should consider improving data collection and analysis for the Externship Exams to be able to assess the effectiveness of the validation processes. The MoES would need to further improve quality of validation procedures by training validation practitioners and checking the quality of assessment instruments and strengthen the information and guidance to ensure the system appeals to the right target groups who had already stayed beyond general education system and might be in a higher need to acquire general school certificate through the Externship Exam.

On parallel and almost the same time, Georgia introduced a notion of validation of learning outcomes acquired in informal and non-formal setting within the Law on vocational education adopted in 2007, along other reforms in vocational education. However, the real introduction of the process and take up by the potential beneficiaries did not followed very soon and even today no single case of recognition is registered. In Georgian VNFIL system is reffered to as არაფორმალური განათლების აღიარება, which translates as recognition of non-formal learning (RNFE), while non-formal learning in Georgian education stands for everything that is obtained beyond the formal education system.

The path between 2007 and 2021 has been long, but interesting. After a few pilot projects, which helped the MoES develop a good understanding of the process and the key features of institutional and legal framework it would require, a Rule for Recognition of Non-formal Education was issued in 2010, delegating recognition functions to vocational institutions. Fearing that there were not enough quality assurance measures yet in place in the system to prevent potential malfunctionings, the recognition processes were discontinued three years after the introduction and new expert groups created to once again analyze the system and come up with more detailed specifications for the system. The new Vocational Education Law of 2018 and a number of decrees on RNFE adopted in 2019 (the Rule for Obtaining a Right to provide RNFE, a GoG regulation #459 of 20th September, 2019, and the Rule for RNFE, a MoES decree) introduced the present system of VNFIL in Georgia. The RNFE process allows any applicant to get their prior formal, non-formal and informal learning outcomes recognized and counted towards any partial or full formal vocational education qualification. Both the government and non-governmental stakeholders are enthusiastic about the process. “Recognition of non-formal learning is a strong instrument to increase efficiency and synergy of education and labour market sectors, together with the adult training system”, says Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ms Tamar Kitiashvili. “It will enable those, with skills acquired at different stages of their life careers, exchange them for formal qualifications that will simplify their integration into the labour market and, probably contribute to soften increasing unemployment in the light of COVID 19 pandemic.” Tegeta Academy, one of the first validation bodies in Georgia under a leading automotive service provider Tegeta Motors, also sees the process as one of the ways “ to promote the professional development of staff, to develop and share new knowledge and international experience in order to improve services.”

RNFE is implemented by validation bodies specially licensed by National Center for Education Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), a national quality assurance and qualifications body. Only institutions having a right to provide officially recognized vocational education qualifications are eligible to obtain the right for RNFE within the fields of their current education programs. The right for VNFIL has been so far granted to the following 4 institutions: LTD Community College - Nataly Academy; LTD Tegeta Academy, LTD Business and Technology Academy, LTD Georgian Business Academy.

The RNFE process consists of identification, documentation, assessment and validation. The consultation and documentation process is conducted by a consultant trained and certified by NCEQE. The validation is done against the existing education standards and modules (the NCEQE plans to widen up opportunities of recognition by allowing recognition based on occupational standards, rather than programs of formal education).

A validation committee created by a validation body should consist of representatives of relevant employers, education institutions, teachers of the vocational field. The RNFE process is partially automatized - applications, RNFE portfolios and RNFE results are registered through the special electronic system. The current RNFE system being rather new and, so far, no one has benefited from it, however, currently there are a few applications under consideration.

The visibility of RNFE in the society is so far very low despite some PR activities from MoES and NCEQE. The cooperation between the education and employment authorities seems also loose on this aspect. RNFE is fee-based and there is no government subsidy for anybody, including unemployed or low social economic status holders. These two facts might be considered as barriers to potential applicants to take up and benefit from the system.

The quality assurance system used for RNFE is extensive and sometimes redundant - potential providers should get authorization (get right to provide state-recognized programs) and then apply for a special right for RNFE. This could result in discouraging potential validation bodies to apply for the right and in limited RNFE opportunities in general. So, these are probably the areas, where Georgian education authorities could look into to further improve the system and make more effective by outreaching, appealing and been used by its potential beneficiaries.