International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Transparency International – Georgia and Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association urge the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia (MES) to ensure holding of competitions for recruitment of heads of Education Resource Centers in a fair, equal and transparent environment.
The MES published results of the competition on May 23, 2013, suggesting that only 20 heads of the resource centers had been recruited. Therefore, a new competition was announced for recruitment of candidates to fill remaining positions.
Appointment of heads of Education Resource Centers triggered turmoil in certain municipalities. There were reports about politicians, officials or majoritarian MPs openly endorsing certain candidates during the competition, as well as about recruitment of resource center heads based on family ties or friendly relationships. Regrettably, the NGOs have found that these reports have merit. In individual cases traces of nepotism have been found.
As to a new competition announced to fill remaining positions, NGOs have already identified one important problem. In particular, it introduces a new requirement of “
at least two years of managerial experience”. Terms of the previous competition did not include any
such requirement; moreover, majority of already appointed heads of resource centers has no previous “managerial experience”.
In this light, modification of terms violates key principle of the law on public service – equal access to public service, discriminating against candidates disqualified on the basis of the foregoing grounds and putting them at a disadvantage.
Therefore, we urge the Minister of Education and Science to ensure maximum transparency of competitions for recruitment of heads of Education Resource Centers by means of engaging monitoring organizations; further, discriminatory approach of the MES towards candidates must be immediately put to an end and equal terms of competition must be applied.
International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy
Transparency International – Georgia
Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association
