The significance of multilingual education in the context of integration of minorities into society

Abstract

In the densely inhabited regions of Georgia there ae still issues to be solved regarding learning and teaching of the State language. Despite a number of positive changes made by the Government in recent years, the degree of the command of Georgian in local non-Georgian population is still very low. Sadly, the Georgian educational system has not yet been able to offer a model to the minorities which would ensure the learning of Georgian at a level suitable for a successful communication. Consequently, in order to improve the situation and achieve positive results, it is still urgent to elaborate a more radical and effective policy. Specifically, it is important to think about institutional changes about the model which would drastically change the attitude regarding the language education in schools. A multilingual model of education can not only be a tool for encouraging civic integration but also, a crucial factor in the cognitive development of learners.