The Communications Commission held a training course for primary school teachers from 10 public and private schools on the subject of the “Media Economics” teaching method. Representatives from the Commission’s Department for Development of Media Literacy introduced the teachers to the project syllabus. Director of the media education centre Zaffiria, Alessandra Falconi, helped devise the lessons and adapt them to Georgian schools.

The “Media Economics” project has been recognised as a successful and effective media literacy initiative by countries of the European Union and the Evens Foundation. It serves to develop media literacy among the youths and is oriented towards teaching the principles of digital media economics.

Children between 10 and 15 years of age are the target audience of the “Media Economics” course. The teaching process will be conducted through the internet, multimedia platforms, as well as practical and interactive activities.

The “Media Economics” project is recognised as a unique approach towards enhancing children’s awareness about media-related threats. The project focusses on social media, with particular emphasis on the issues of privacy, cyber bullying and other online threats.

The project will teach children how social media is funded, and how each user can contribute towards this process with a single ‘like.’ They also gain perception of the fundamental economic principles of social media. Furthermore, the project aims to ensure that children are properly informed about their online personas.

As part of the project, the pupils will discuss, analyse and learn how free websites such as Facebook, Youtube and Wikipedia generate income, how companies can increase their revenues while providing free services, how website staff receive their salaries, what constitutes digital identity, etc.

Pupils from 10 public and private schools will take the “Media Economics” course during the initial stage.

During the course of 2019, the Commission and the Ministry of Education will jointly implement five media literacy projects for children, involving parents and teachers.

The aforementioned projects have been selected based on the analysis of successful practices from EU countries, assessment of their effectiveness and the potential for their implementation in Georgia.