In order to promote the development of electoral culture, Election Administration continues the informational-training programs. This time, LEPL Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training (Training Centre) and Supreme Election Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara (SEC), with the support of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia (COE), held information meeting with civic education teachers of public schools of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. The event was carried out with the involvement of the Ministry of Culture, Education and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.

The purpose of the informational meeting was to discuss the issue of the importance of elections and to share the novelties of the electoral reform with the teachers, in order to transfer the mentioned information to the studenst and to facilitate the process of forming young people into informed voters afterwards.

Stefan Sirbu, the Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia opened the event. Parmen Jalaghonia, Chairperson of the Supreme Election Commission of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara, Maia Khajishvili, Minister of Education, Culture and Sport of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara and Natia Zaalishvili, Director of the Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Training Centre delivered opening remarks. At the opening session, speakers noted that on the way to the development of a democratic society, it is necessary to increase the involvement of youth in elections, and in this regard, civic education teachers have an important role in the process of raising the electoral awareness of citizens from school age.

In the format of the meeting, the representatives of the Training Centre introduced the following important issues to the teachers in detail: the essence of human rights and the importance of electoral rights in the wider spectrum of political rights; international standards and principles of conducting democratic elections; the mandate of the Election Administration of Georgia and the services it offers to voters; parties involved in the elections; current election reform in Georgia in relation to technological innovations. Legal expert of COE, Ardita Driza Maurer provided the teachers with information on the use of digital technologies in elections in terms of European practice, also drew attention to the legal and policy instruments of the Council of Europe.

In order to get acquainted with the practical aspects of using electronic devices in elections, the Training Centre held a mock voting process using voter verification and electronic vote counting machines, with the participation of the teachers attending at the event.

The workshop was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Supporting Transparency, Inclusiveness and Integrity of Electoral Practice and Process in Georgia” and held in the period of June 29-30, 2023 in Batumi. 25 civic education teachers of public schools of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara took part in it.