10.52340/ekonomisti.2026.01.24

Expanded summary

Educational participation plays a central role in shaping childrens academic trajectories and broader developmental outcomes. While access to schooling is a necessary condition for educational attainment, sustained participation across educational stages and the acquisition of foundational learning skills are equally important for ensuring meaningful learning. This study examines patterns of educational participation among children and adolescents in Georgia and explores their relationship with foundational learning skills, with particular attention to attendance, completion, school exclusion, and early learning outcomes.

The analysis draws on data from the Statistical Survey on Functioning and Foundational Learning Skills of Children Living in Georgian Households (FFLS 2024), a nationally representative household survey conducted in 2024. The survey employs internationally recognized measurement frameworks, including the Washington Group Child Functioning Module and UNICEF methodologies for assessing foundational reading and mathematics skills. The data allow for a detailed examination of educational participation across preschool, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels, as well as the assessment of school exclusion and learning outcomes among early grade students.

The findings indicate that participation in early childhood education is relatively high. A substantial share of children aged 36–59 months attend preschool institutions, and participation in organized learning activities during the year preceding primary school entry is widespread. These patterns suggest broad access to early learning opportunities and a generally favorable context for school readiness. Differences by gender and settlement type at this stage are limited, indicating relatively even access to early education services across population groups.

Attendance rates at the primary and lower secondary levels are exceptionally high. Nearly all children of official primary school age attend school, and participation remains strong at the lower secondary level. These findings point to effective coverage of compulsory education and limited exclusion at lower educational stages. In contrast, attendance declines at the upper secondary level. A noticeably smaller share of adolescents of upper secondary age remains enrolled in formal education, highlighting the transition beyond compulsory schooling as a critical point of vulnerability within the educational trajectory.

Completion patterns further reinforce this distinction across educational stages. Completion of primary and lower secondary education is nearly universal, reflecting a high likelihood that students who enter these levels successfully progress to completion. At the upper secondary level, however, completion rates are substantially lower. Although most students reach upper secondary education, a meaningful proportion does not complete this level, resulting in a gap between educational access and final attainment. This divergence underscores the importance of examining not only participation but also persistence and completion at higher stages of education.

Disaggregation by gender and settlement type reveals limited inequalities at lower educational levels. Attendance and completion rates for boys and girls are broadly similar at the primary and lower secondary levels, as are outcomes for students living in urban and rural areas. Differences become more pronounced at the upper secondary level, where students residing in urban areas exhibit higher attendance and completion rates than their rural counterparts. Gender differences at this stage, while present, remain relatively modest. These patterns suggest that inequalities in educational participation are concentrated at the upper end of the educational system rather than being evenly distributed across all stages.

Indicators of school exclusion provide additional insight into patterns of educational disengagement. The proportion of children who are out of school is minimal at primary and lower secondary ages, consistent with the high attendance rates observed at these levels. By contrast, school exclusion is more prevalent among adolescents of upper secondary age. This finding aligns with the observed decline in attendance and completion at this stage and further emphasizes the upper secondary level as a focal point for educational risk. School exclusion does not display marked gender differences but varies clearly by educational level, reinforcing the structural nature of the challenge.

Beyond participation indicators, the analysis examines foundational learning skills in reading and mathematics among students in grades 2 and 3. The results reveal uneven learning outcomes at early stages of schooling. Only about half of students demonstrate foundational reading skills, while an even smaller proportion demonstrates foundational mathematics skills. Although most students are able to complete individual simple tasks—such as recognizing basic words or performing elementary arithmetic operations—only a subset successfully demonstrates mastery across all core components simultaneously. These findings indicate that high levels of school attendance do not automatically translate into strong foundational learning outcomes.

The juxtaposition of high participation rates and comparatively modest foundational learning outcomes highlights a critical distinction between access to education and the effectiveness of learning. While the education system succeeds in enrolling and retaining most children at lower educational levels, the development of foundational skills appears less consistent. This gap suggests that challenges related to instructional quality, curriculum alignment, or learning support may limit the translation of participation into learning achievement, particularly in the early grades.

Taken together, the findings present a comprehensive picture of educational participation and learning outcomes among children and adolescents in Georgia. The evidence points to strong system coverage at preschool, primary, and lower secondary levels, alongside persistent vulnerabilities at the upper secondary stage. At the same time, the limited attainment of foundational learning skills among early grade students indicates that educational success cannot be assessed solely through participation and completion indicators.

Overall, the results underscore the importance of a balanced analytical approach that considers both educational access and learning outcomes. Ensuring that high levels of participation are accompanied by effective learning remains a central challenge. Addressing this challenge requires attention to critical transition points within the educational trajectory, particularly at the upper secondary level, as well as sustained efforts to strengthen foundational learning during the early years of schooling. The evidence provided by FFLS 2024 offers a robust statistical basis for understanding these dynamics and for informing future research and policy discussions on educational quality and equity in Georgia.

JEL Codes: P 20, P 31, P 40, P 52