The Government of Ajara and the Ministry of Education and Sports often share photos on their social media pages ahead of new academic year, showcasing newly completed or renovated schools. However, it is far less common to see updates about schools where construction has been delayed, leaving students still relocated to temporary facilities. This means that the learning process continues under nonstandard conditions for many.
FactCheck revisits this issue every year. We review the progress of ongoing infrastructure projects in Ajara’s public schools based on information provided by the Ministry. For instance, FactCheck reported on the prolonged reconstruction and rehabilitation projects of Batumi Public Schools No. 4 and No. 5 exactly one year ago. Construction was supposed to start within six months and be completed within 15 months according to contracts (signed on 19 October 2023 for School No. 4 and 10 November 2023 for school No. 5). When FactCheck visited the sites a year after the contracts were signed, it was already clear the projects would not be completed on schedule. We requested the updated information from the Ministry of Education and Sports of Ajara. In our letter (Annex 1), we specifically asked for data on all schools that remained closed at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year as well as where their students had been relocated. However, the Ministry did not include the two Batumi schools in its list – likely because the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Batumi Public Schools No. 4 and No. 5 are not financed from the Ajara budget. These projects are implemented with financial support from the World Bank under the Innovation, Inclusive Education and Quality programme.
Although the Ministry also did not specify to which schools the displaced students were transferred, it did provide information on schools where construction is either ongoing or completed. The new academic year in Ajara started late in five public schools and the missed classes will be made up on Saturdays, according to the data. Annex 2, which was supposed to list schools where classes have not resumed at all, contained no such information. Still, the attached table shows where construction work is currently underway, several of which were already discussed in FactCheck’s earlier article. For example, construction of the Kvemo Vashlovani Public School was commissioned by the Ministry in 2022 for GEL 9,726,074. Work is still ongoing and the contractor has already been paid 80% of the total amount according to information published on State Procurement Agency’s website. Whilst a 2024 amendment to the contract extended the construction deadline to 29 September 2025, it appears even that timeframe will not be met. A total of 130 students from Kvemo Vashlovani Public School were attending classes at the Khulo Public School according to the information by the Ministry provided last year. Their daily transportation cost the state GEL 560.
The construction of Batumi’s new public school has also not been completed. The Ministry of Education of Ajara signed a GEL 6,998,000 contract with Dika 2010 LLC on 24 June 2022 to procure the work. The final deadline was set at 30 calendar months from the issuance of the building permit, meaning the project was originally scheduled to be completed by February 2025. The contractor violated the scheduled timelines outlined in the project plan and received a formal warning in October of last year. This year, the company cited experience showing that Batumi receives heavy rainfall and the materials specified in the project would not protect the building from moisture in the long term. It also identified other necessary changes and requested extensions to both the project timeline and budget. One detail is notable: the supplier stated the need for unforeseen work had been identified from the beginning. A repeat geological survey and project adjustments were required taking 68 days during which construction was halted (for context, the Ministry purchased the project for the new public school on Demetre Tavdadebuli Street in Batumi from JSC Acharkapmshen back in 2021, paying almost GEL 200,000.) The project cost increased to GEL 7,455,719 and the deadline was extended with the buyer’s approval. The Ministry excluded 50 calendar days from the official work period. The contractor has been paid 91% of the total contract amount as of 27 October 2025. The project remains ongoing.
Construction and renovation work is ongoing this year at several more schools in Ajara, in some cases behind schedule, according to the Ministry’s response. The full list can be found in Annex 3.
We also asked the Ministry how much is being spent specifically on transporting students temporarily relocated to other buildings. The written response did not clarify whether the stated costs cover only this group or the transportation expenses for all students in general.
Table 1: Student Transportation Costs by Municipality in Ajara, 2025-2026 Academic Year
Table 1 shows that GEL 9,834,232 will be spent this academic year to transport 17,986 students. This figure does not cover only students temporarily relocated to other schools. However, it is clear that delays in school infrastructure projects impose additional costs on the budget. A total of GEL 8,947,200 was allocated for student transportation during the 2024-2025 academic year. The actual expenditure in 2024 amounted to GEL 9,997,700, exceeding the planned amount, according to the 2025 republican budget of Ajara. Whilst the forecasted figure was set at GEL 9,000,000 this year, if ongoing projects are not completed in the academic timeframe and students continue learning in alternative facilities, the expenses may rise – and they have already exceeded the forecasted budget, according to the provided information, which suggests that the allocated amount may need adjustment.
