The Class of 2022: third cohort of EU-funded scholars graduates from EaP European School

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) European School programme today marks the graduation of its third cohort of students from the six EaP countries in a ceremony hosted by the New School – International School of Georgia at the Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

The students, their parents and the Faculty will be joined by Ms. Sigrid Brettel, Head of Cooperation, European Delegation to Georgia, Mr. Lawrence Meredith, Director Neighbourhood East and Institution Building DG NEAR, and Mr. Kakha Khandolishvili, Head of International Relations and Strategic Development Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, as well as other dignitaries, including from UNOPS, to celebrate the successful completion of undergraduate studies.  

The Class of 2022 of the scholarship programme comprises 40 students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. All students, among them 27 girls, successfully graduated with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and will pursue their higher education studies in the universities of Europe, the United States, Canada and their home countries. Thirty per cent of the graduates have received full or partial scholarships from well-known universities globally and will join their peers in France, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Qatar, the United States and Canada.

“The European School in Georgia is a beacon of the EU’s support to young people in your region, equipping you with the tools you need to make the most of every opportunity that will come your way in the future,” said Lawrence Meredith, congratulating the graduating students, and adding: “The success of today’s graduating class is a lesson in resilience and determination. After the stressful pandemic and in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, you still accepted the challenge to leave your families and take part in this truly unique experience.”

Since the launch of the scholarship programme in 2018, 145 students from different urban and rural cities of the six Eastern European countries have been awarded with the EU-funded full 2-year scholarship to study on the IB Diploma Programme. By 2022, a total of 105 students from three cohorts, 72 girls and 33 boys, have graduated from the European School with the IB Diploma, pursuing careers in a diversity of areas such as Economics, Biochemical Engineering, Physics, Social Sciences, Arts and Culture, Communications and Media, International Relations and Global Affairs, Medicine, Law, Liberal Arts and Computer Sciences. Another group of 39 students will be graduating next year while the next cohort of students will be recruited in 2022 to join for the academic year of 2023-2025.  

The Eastern Partnership European School Project, a flagship Project and one of the “Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020”, is a wider initiative by the European Union (EU) for the six EaP countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine – to address the needs of youth, focused on secondary education. The project offers high quality education to successful high school students from six EaP countries through a competitive and merit-based scholarship IB Diploma programme with a focus on European Studies. The Project is expected to increase students’ educational and employment opportunities, fostering cooperation, multi-cultural understanding, tolerance, and fundamental values, and promoting a better understanding of the EU and its engagement in the region.