EU NEIGHBOURS . On 23 June, the Eastern Partnership European School in Tbilisi, Georgia, held a graduation ceremony for its first cohort of students.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held online. The event was attended by the Georgian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, the director of outreach and conferences at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organisation, Haif Bannayan, and Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services Grete Faremo.
The EU-funded school offers high-quality education to pupils from the six Eastern partner countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) to increase their educational and employment opportunities. It fosters co-operation, multi-cultural understanding, tolerance and fundamental values, and promotes a better understanding of the EU and its engagement in the region.
The class of 2020 comprises 30 students. They have all graduated with an IB diploma and will pursue their higher education studies in Europe, the United States and their home countries.
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The Eastern Partnership European School programme is the first phase of a wider initiative by the EU to address the needs of youth in the six Eastern partner countries, focusing on secondary education. Currently, 65 students are enrolled in the programme, with a new cohort of 35 students joining in September 2020.