On midnight of November 30th the GZAAT Facebook posted a statement declaring that classes on Monday, December 2nd, are cancelled. According to the statement: “this is an act of protest because the school condemns the violence the ruling party uses against Georgia's citizens, which violates basic human rights.” [Editors Note: please view official statement below.]
As of Sunday, December 1st, other local private schools, such as Newton Free School, British-Georgian Academy and the Contemporary Education Academy have made similar statements condemning the current events. Newton Free School will also suspend classes on Monday.
How did GZAAT make this decision?
The initial idea for GZAAT to make a formal protest began on the faculty email chain on the evening of November 29th. Within an hour after the issue had been raised, approximately 45 individual responses had been collected, all of them by faculty members expressing their support for the motion. Once a clear majority had been established, a statement was drafted and approved, first by the faculty and then by the board of trustees.
Eka Tatishvili, Dean of Students, confirmed that a vast majority of the staff participated in this conversation and that all opinions were considered: “Of course everyone respects and considers each other's opinions. The school functions as a united system, so we include everyone in such discussions.”
For other faculty members, the overall will of the teachers’ was evident: “It was clear that the vast majority wanted to express their outcry against the current situation,” Khatuna Tskhadadze of the English Department said.
Dato Shapakidze of the Math Department pointed out that there had been similar conversations in GZAAT alumni groups on social media, with former students calling for a protest from the academy. “The teachers had started talking about some sort of protest among ourselves, but then our graduates made a similar recommendation,” he said.
The document GZAAT published on Facebook to inform the public of this decision was written by the staff at large. They had a shared document where all teachers were able to make corrections and ensure the text conveyed the proper message. Everyone took part in putting together this announcement.
However this is not a typical strike because teachers are not, for example, protesting against their employers. “It’s more of a symbolic act,” said Khatuna Tskhadadze.
As for what’s going to happen after Monday, there are no definitive answers, although it seems probable that classes will go back to a normal schedule. “We can say that classes will most probably resume on Tuesday,” said Eka Tatishvili.
Did students play a role in this decision?
Anuka Ninua, GZAAT alumna, had also disseminated an online petition that same day, on November 29th, to call for a “strike” from the academy. The change.org link had been circulating in class groupchats and Instagram stories. At 8:21 PM the petition link was sent out to the student body by the prefects’ email.
A total of 337 signatures were gathered from current students and graduates.
However when the faculty made their decision, it was clear many didn’t know about this student petition. “The students didn’t play a role in this decision, it is the staff who decided to express their protest,” said Eka Tatishvili.
Edited By: Anthony Schierman
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