The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia denies the information spread by the President, as if personal data of children is being collected in schools for specific purposes.

“The information spread by Salome Zourabichvili, as if the personal data of children are being collected in schools for specific purposes, is a lie and does not correspond to the truth. Dissemination of this kind of disinformation is a deliberate act aimed solely at discrediting the education system.

We would like to inform the public that student data - personal information, his grades, current grades - are reflected in the education management information system. The system displays information about parents or legal representatives.

Periodically, the schools update the data in the system, namely the parent/legal representative, contact phone number, e-mail address and residential address. This serves to ensure quick and easy communication with the parent/legal representative, if necessary.

The collection, storage, processing, analysis and administration of data in the general education management information system is provided by the education management information system in compliance with the requirements of the Law of Georgia “On Personal Data Protection”. The education management information system is authorized to receive and use the personal data of other public law legal entities included in the Ministry’s system.

We call on specific individuals to refrain from spreading misinformation, which serves to deliberately mislead the public”, - reads the statement.

The President of Georgia wrote on her Facebook page that kids are asked for their parents’ personal numbers in schools, which is a violation of personal data: “If schools ask children for such data, this is a violation of personal data! A child should not give his parents’ personal number”.