Georgia university entrance exams held in sweltering heat

It’s another year and business as usual as students and examination centres throughout Georgia prepare for the unified national exams – without air conditioning.

“Air conditioning systems require a lot of financial resources,” explained Maya Miminoshvili, the director of the National Centre for Examinations and Appraisals in an interview with Interpressnews agency.

However, things are about to change for those taking state exams in Rustavi as an air conditioner will be installed in the test centre. According to Miminoshvili, the Rustavi centre will be the only air-conditioned site and calls it ‘a pilot project’.

“The Rustavi examination centre is in a very complicated situation – it’s hot there, and the building itself is constantly in the sun, so it was decided that the pilot project be implemented there”, she says.

Meanwhile, Miminoshvili stressed that she personally believes that examinations should be conducted under normal conditions, but at the same time emphasizes the problems associated with the use of air conditioners:

“Many cannot tolerate air conditioners, including the noise. It’s hard to please and meet everyone’s wishes. At this stage however, it was decided that the Rustavi exam centre will be equipped with air conditioning,” Miminoshvili said.

Examinations take place during the hottest month of the year. In recent years, both the students and their concerned parents complained about the unbearable heat and expressed the need for air conditioners. Not without reason either: several students had previously fallen ill as a result of the heat.

The unified national examinations will begin in Georgia on 2 July and will end on 26 July. July 2018, according to weather forecasts, promises to be especially sunny. The month of June has barely ended, with temperatures already reaching 40-41 degrees Celsius.

Maya Miminoshvili’s view on air conditioners brought on a slew of jokes and comments among Georgian Facebook users.