A Children’s Rights Centre was officially established at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) through the initiative and support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). As part of the opening ceremony, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between Batumi State University and UNICEF. The document was signed by Professor Merab Khalvashi, Rector of Batumi State University, and Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Georgia.

The establishment of the Centre was attended by distinguished guests, including Riina Kaljurand, Ambassador of Estonia; Helene Sand Andresen, Ambassador of Norway; Eka Dgebuadze, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia; Maia Khajishvili, Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara; and Tsotne Ananidze, Chairperson of the Human Rights Protection Committee of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.

The main objective of the Children’s Rights Centre is to strengthen the culture of children’s rights, promote the realization of children’s rights, and support their effective protection.

The Centre will organize seminars and training programmes aimed at generating and disseminating knowledge in the field of children’s rights. It will also enhance the capacity of university academic staff, students, teachers, school administrations, and parents to effectively implement children’s rights principles within Georgian society.

UNICEF will support the development of educational programmes and syllabi dedicated to children’s rights, which will be incorporated into university curricula as either elective or compulsory courses. In addition, children’s rights topics will be integrated into the syllabi of various academic disciplines.

In 2021, UNICEF planned to organize the second international conference at the University on the topic “Children’s Rights in University Education.”

Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University has been cooperating with the UNICEF Office in Tbilisi since 2014. Between 2014 and 2016, with the support of UNICEF and the Estonian Foundation “Innove,” the University implemented a teacher education programme aimed at strengthening teacher preparation.

Since 2017, Batumi State University has participated in the UNICEF programme “Increasing Access to Quality Education for Children in Georgia,” implemented through cooperation between UNICEF, the Governments of Estonia and Georgia. The programme aimed to improve the quality of university-level teacher education programmes in the fields of preschool and general education.

Within the framework of this initiative, with UNICEF’s support and guidance, an Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Programme in Primary Education was developed at nine higher education institutions in Georgia, including Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.