Widening participation and increasing access to Cultural Heritage and Natural Science Activities in Georgia.

自1991年共产主义结束以来，格鲁吉亚经历了一系列危机，经历了内战，失去了阿布哈兹，自2008年以来，茨欣瓦利/南奥塞梯一直被俄罗斯军队占领。这意味着佐治亚州(http://www.internal-displacement.org/europe-the-caucasus-and-central-asia/georgia/figures-analysis)的390万(http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/georgia-population/)人口中有多达232,700名国内流离失所者，几乎相当于全国总人口的17%。俄罗斯(https://www.georgianjournal.ge/politics/34274-10-years-after-putins-invasion-russia-still-occupies-parts-of-georgia-daily-signal.html)占领了该国20%的领土，这些因素给社会带来了巨大的社会、政治和经济压力。此外，目前第比利斯的官方人口为1,225,000人(http://tbilisiguide.ge/w/about_georgia.php))，尽管人们认为实际人口总数更高，这种从村庄向首都的迁移引发了许多年轻人生活机会的危机。教育需要将这一倡议放在更广泛的背景下来看，必须理解，格鲁吉亚学校系统长期资金不足，儿童分两班上学--10：00-14：00和14：00-18：00，这意味着没有孩子像大多数其他欧洲国家那样全天学习。此外，极长的假期和许多国家银行假期进一步缩短了学年，每个学年儿童在学期的最后两周被撤回并被送往各省亲属的普遍做法也是如此。在农村，学校建筑往往几乎是废弃的苏联时代的建筑，危险地不稳定，教师每月的收入约为300拉里(不到90 GB)，这意味着许多人不得不做第二份工作或经营小农场来支付他们的生活费。鉴于这种长期资金不足的教育体系，迫切需要向教师提供高级技能培训和资源包，以提高士气，并鼓励教师与儿童谈论他们农村社区以外的更广泛的抱负，并考虑高等教育提供的可能性。教育能力建设这一战略设想了一种更统一的方法，建立在教育部目标的基础上，对策展人员和教师进行进一步培训，以便他们拥有在博物馆或其他遗产背景下开设课程所需的技能。在一段时间内，GNM主任David Lordkipanidze教授，一直在寻找合作伙伴，以帮助GMN与具有国内流离失所者背景或生活在该国最偏远地区的教师和儿童合作。他的愿景是激励来自高加索高加索或南部阿塞拜疆和亚美尼亚少数民族等地的儿童立志从事人文或自然科学事业，以期他们最终成为学者或策展人。他的方法是为儿童组织夏令营和活动日，这符合文化部的2025年遗产战略，该战略呼吁GNM等机构在向教师提供技能发展方面发挥主导作用，并与经济上最边缘化的社会成员接触。这项研究建议利用国家博物馆馆长支持的方法，建立一个由国家博物馆初级馆长和教育工作人员参与的培训网络，与地区学校教师互动，宣传博物馆和文化遗产地，使其成为课堂的诱人场所，不仅向儿童传授文化遗产的价值，而且向他们传授人文学科的价值。

Georgia has suffered a series of crises since the end of communism in 1991, suffering a civil war, the loss of Abkhazia and, since 2008 Tskhinvali/South Ossetia has been occupied by the Russian army. This means that there are up to 232,700 IDPs in Georgia (http://www.internal-displacement.org/europe-the-caucasus-and-central-asia/georgia/figures-analysis) out of a population of 3.9 million (http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/georgia-population/) which equates to almost 17% of the overall population of the country. 20% of the country's territory is occupied by Russia (https://www.georgianjournal.ge/politics/34274-10-years-after-putins-invasion-russia-still-occupies-parts-of-georgia-daily-signal.html) and these factors have placed a significant social, political and economic strain on society. Added to this the population of Tbilisi is now officially 1,225,000 (http://tbilisiguide.ge/w/about_georgia.php) although it is believed the real total is higher, and this movement from the villages to the capital has precipitated a crisis in life opportunities for many young people.Educational needsTo place this initiative in a wider context, it must be understood that there is such chronic underfunding of the Georgian schools system that children attend in two shifts - 10.00-14.00 and 14.00-18.00 meaning that no child studies for a full day as is normal in most other European countries. In addition the extremely long holidays and many National Bank Holidays further curtail the school year, as does the widespread practice of children being withdrawn for the last 2 weeks of term each academic year and sent off to relatives in the provinces. In the villages, school buildings are often almost derelict Soviet era constructions that are dangerously unstable and teachers earn in the region of 300 Lari (less than £90) a month, meaning that many have to take on second jobs or run smallholdings to cover their living costs. Given this chronically under-funded education system there is an urgent need to offer advanced skills training and resource packs to teachers in order to raise the level of morale and also to encourage teachers to talk to children about wider aspirations beyond their rural communities and consider the possibilities offered by tertiary education.Educational Capacity BuildingThis strategy envisages a more unified approach that builds on Ministry of Education objectives, to implement further training for curatorial staff and teachers so that they have the skills necessary to develop classes in a museum or other heritage context.For some time Prof. Dr. David Lordkipanidze, Director of the GNM, has been searching for partners to help the GMN work with teachers and children from IDP backgrounds or living in the most remote parts of the country. His vision has been to inspire children from places such as the High Caucasus or the Azeri and Armenian minorities in the south to aspire to a career in the Humanities or the Natural Sciences with a view to them ultimately working as academics or curators. His methodology has been to organise summer camps and activity days for children, which is in line with the Ministry of Culture's Heritage 2025 strategy, that calls upon institutions like the GNM to take a leading role in offering skills development to teachers and engage with the most economically marginalised members of society. This research proposes to utilise the approach favoured by the Director of the GNM and institute a training network involving GNM junior curators and educational staff interacting with regional schoolteachers to promote museums and cultural heritage sites as inviting spaces for classes in which to teach children about the value of not only cultural heritage, but also the Humanities in general.