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Support at school

Georgian schools have a system to support children who find learning harder. Here is how it works and how to ask for help.

In short

  • Georgian law gives children with special educational needs the right to extra support.1
  • If your child qualifies, the school makes an individual learning plan. You, as a parent, are part of the team that writes it.2
  • Children with special needs can study in ordinary schools. How well this works differs between schools, and there are not enough trained specialists, especially outside Tbilisi.1,3

Last checked: 16 October 2026

How it works, step by step

The steps are set by an order of the Minister of Education (No. 16/ნ of 2018, updated in 2024):2

  1. Tell the school. When your child starts school, you can say that you think your child has special educational needs, and fill in a referral form.
  2. Assessment. A team of specialists from the Ministry of Education assesses your child.
  3. A team at school. If your child qualifies, the school sets up a small team: the class teacher, your child's subject teachers, the school's inclusive education specialists, and you. The team meets at least twice each semester.
  4. An individual learning plan. The team writes a learning plan for your child within a month. It can cover all subjects or only some. A special education teacher also makes a plan for extra support. The plan is reviewed at least once each semester.
  5. A written report. At the end of each semester, you get a written report on your child's progress.

Where support falls short

The rules are in place, but in many schools they are still hard to put into practice.

  • The Public Defender of Georgia found that schools need more trained staff, and that school staff and parents need to know more about inclusive education.4
  • In December 2025, the Public Defender said there are too few inclusive education specialists in the regions. He called for better coordination and monitoring of support in schools.3
  • Training programmes exist, but they reach only some schools. One UNICEF-supported programme set up resource rooms in ten public schools and trained 242 teachers and school staff.5
  • ADHD itself is not widely understood. Its signs are often taken for simple carelessness, and outside Tbilisi the topic is rarely discussed.6

About 6 in every 100 children have ADHD,7 so most classes are likely to include at least one child who has it. Wider training for teachers, and more specialists outside Tbilisi, would help schools give these children the support the law already promises. Recommendations

Tips for parents

  • Keep copies of all reports, assessments and letters.
  • Ask the school for support in writing.
  • Take part in your child's learning plan team. The rules say you are a member.2
  • Ask for the written report at the end of each semester.2
  • If you disagree with a decision, you can appeal it.1 For problems with your child's rights, you can contact the Public Defender of Georgia.8

What helps in class

Changes that often help children with ADHD:

  • sitting near the teacher, away from distractions
  • clear, written instructions, with big tasks split into small steps
  • short breaks to move around
  • extra time for tests, in a quiet room
  • regular feedback, and regular contact between teacher and parents

Some of these also work at home. How to help at home

In other countries

  • United States: special education law names ADHD directly.9
  • United Kingdom: ADHD can count as a disability under the Equality Act, which gives schools duties to help.10
  • Canada: ADHD organisations asked every province to treat ADHD as a learning risk, like autism and learning disabilities.11

The Council of Europe, of which Georgia is a member, recommends that children with ADHD get support with learning and behaviour as a priority.12

Where this information comes from

  1. European Commission, Eurydice. "Georgia: separate special education needs provision in early childhood and school education."
  2. Minister of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia (12 February 2024). Order No. 25/ნ amending Order No. 16/ნ of 21 February 2018 on inclusive education and identifying students with special educational needs (in Georgian).
  3. European Network of Ombudsmen (17 December 2025). "Conference on Preschool, Inclusive and General Education": statement by the Public Defender of Georgia.
  4. Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia (14 June 2019). "Inclusive education: achievements and challenges," special report on monitoring of 15 pilot public schools.
  5. UNICEF Georgia (2023). "Children with special educational needs in selected schools of Georgia benefit from the various educational resources."
  6. Radio Tavisupleba (13 June 2026). "It helps you live but causes trouble with the law: what happens if ADHD medicine is found on you?" (in Georgian; title translated). RFE/RL.
  7. Faraone, S.V. et al. (2021). "The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 evidence-based conclusions about the disorder." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 128: 789–818.
  8. Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia. ombudsman.ge.
  9. US Department of Education. IDEA regulations, 34 CFR §300.8: "other health impairment" explicitly includes ADHD.
  10. United Kingdom. Equality Act 2010, section 6 (definition of disability).
  11. Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada (CADDAC). "Update on CADDAC's ADHD Right to Learn advocacy campaign."
  12. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2015). Resolution 2042: Ensuring comprehensive treatment for children with attention disorders.