Press Release

OCTOBER 25, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact information:
Tamar Gelashvili
Mob: (+995) (91) 409 502
Tel: (+995) (32) 2 43 82 20
Email: info@ghpp.ge
34/36 Kobuleti St. Tbilisi, Georgia

USAID's Georgia HIV Prevention Project is conducting a National Consensus Building Conference on Institutionalization of Healthy Lifestyle Curriculum (HLC) in Secondary Schools

October 26, 2011; 9:30AM; Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, Tbilisi

The National Consensus Building Conference aims to present findings of the operations research:  "Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Healthy Lifestyles Curriculum among Students of Secondary Schools in Tbilisi and Telavi" conducted by USAID/Georgia HIV Prevention Project (GHPP) and provide evidence-based recommendations to Ministry of Education and Science and policy makers for institutionalizing the use of the HLC in secondary schools.

The conference will be attended by governmental officials including Giorgi Tsereteli - Vice Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Irina Kurdadze - Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Gabashvili - Head of the Education, Science and Culture and other representatives of the Parliament of Georgia, etc, as well as representatives of international organizations and local experts.

In 2010, GHPP conducted a thorough analysis of existing National Education Plan (NEP) to identify gaps in coverage of healhty lifestyle topics, and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES), UNFPA and UNICEF developed the unified HLC. 

In December 2010, GHPP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the MOES  and started pilot testing of the consolidated HLC in 21 selected schools in Tbilisi and Telavi. In paralel, GHPP designed and conducted an operations research to evaluate the effectiveness of the HLC pilot testing and assess the difference in students' knowledge level from baseline to follow up.This evaluation showed that the pilot HLC had a positive effect on students' learning and teachers' ability to deliver information that can protect young people's health and wellbeing. Based on the thorough and collaborative process to consolidate the many healthy lifestyles curricula in Georgia and then test the use of this consolidated curriculum within the formal school system with success, it is expected that MOES adopt this tested consolidated version for use in the formal school setting by including it in the upcoming biology text book revision process.

The USAID-funded Georgia HIV Prevention Project is a five-year effort that began on February 4, 2010, which is supporting HIV prevention among high risk groups in order to avert the spread of HIV to the general population. GHPP, awarded to RTI International (RTI) and its subcontracting partners, Save the Children-US (SC) and Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH), work with local partners and counterparts to develop and implement HIV prevention activities for most-at-risk populations as well as at-risk youth.

About USAID in Georgia: During the past 19 years, the American people, through USAID, have invested more than $1, 5 billion in Georgia. More than 40 projects are currently being implemented. These projects are designed to support Georgia's transition to a free and prosperous democracy and include initiatives to accelerate economic growth, develop democratic institutions, and improve health and education. USAID provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries.  For more information, please visit http://georgia.usaid.