ComCom Commissioner - Natia Kukuladze and the EU Ambassador to Georgia - Carl Hartzell held a meeting with teachers in the Pankisi Gorge and discussed the importance of media literacy, as well as the existing challenges in this field. The EU and ComCom representatives informed the teachers about future projects and answered their questions. After the discussion, 17 public school teachers from the villages of Kvareltskaro, Omalo, Birkiani, Dumasturi, Jokolo, Duisi and Sakobiano in the Pankisi Gorge participated in the training session, which was organized by the Communications Commission and the EU as part of the joint project “The Challenge of Disinformation: Promoting Critical Thinking in Schools.” 

The teachers were given detailed information about the negative impact of disinformation and anti-western propaganda, and the mechanisms for tackling the spread of such disinformation. They learned the practical methods for identifying false information through media literacy skills and received information about European values and the EU-Georgia approximation process. 

As part of the EU-funded project “The Challenge of Disinformation: Promoting Critical Thinking in Schools,” the Communications Commission has been holding seminars across Georgia for more than three months. Thus far, over 30 seminars have been organized in Tbilisi and all other regions of Georgia, including the regions with large ethnic minority populations. More than 600 public and private school and vocational college teachers in Kvemo Kartli, Imereti, Adjara, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Guria, Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Racha-Lechkhumi have already been trained in tackling disinformation. 

Training sessions are held in accordance with the creative and interactive module developed specifically for this project by media literacy experts.. The training module is based on modern learning approaches and includes important topics such as critical thinking, various methods of identifying false information and methods of validating information. The module is led by experienced trainers. As part of the project, certified teachers will put their newly acquired experience into practice and share their knowledge with students.