The amount of donations depends on regions. Institutions located in central parts of towns have comparably higher donations than those in regions. It depends on parents’ solvency. The donations at rural areas are very small and parents pay in kind. Therefore, the quality and periodicity of nutrition and its calorie content varies significantly.

The average monthly payment for prestigious central areas of city is equal to 30 Lari, at suburbs of the city it equals to 10 – 15 Lari. At rural areas the payment equals to 5 Lari. For the state kindergartens feed is organised in accordance with the state decree No 342 "About Norms of Nutrition at Nursery Schools, Kindergartens and Pre-school Institutions of Sanatorium Type" issued on 04.05.93. In 1995-1996 an international organisation EKILIBR supported pre-school institutions in several cities. International female organisation actually helped all pre-school institutions.

The centralised system of supply of pre-school institutions existed in the Soviet period was destroyed, financial support of the state was significantly reduced, the work of factories devoted to produce furniture and toys for children was stopped. These were the reason that material and technical base of pre-school institutions has sharply worsened. During the last years the pre-school establishments did not acquire soft and firm stock, toys, utensils, crockery, sport equipment, technical accessories, visual aids, medical equipment and medicine, there was not executed capital and current repair at kindergartens for disabled children.

For the last 2 years the situation was rather improved. For a number of pre-school establishments the state has transferred money to purchase equipment and for repair. Some of pre-school institutions are carried out repair activities and acquiring equipment from different funds.

During last years the most difficult problem pre-school institutions have faced was lack of power supply and problems related with heating and preparation of buildings for winter season.

There are problems related to medical service of children. As the result of conducted health protection reforms, the pre-school institutions have lost the staff of doctors, which were earlier financed by medical authorities and were fixed behind pre-school institutions. For example, in Tbilisi the health services was conducted in 109 institutions out of 201 pre-school organisations. The assignment of payment for the medical forms necessary for admission into institution creates additional problems for parents. Regional medical institutions are not able to execute medical services because of the lack of necessary medicine.

The appropriate regional or urban departments of education according to the acting norms determine the staff of pre-school institutions. For the last years the certain measures for increase of a professional level of the teachers were conducted. In particular at the pedagogical university the special faculty was open, at the same time the change of style of work at Gogebashvili College results in increase of teacher training level.

In 1990 8117 teachers out of 22538 had higher education, 212 of them had incomplete higher, and 11937 have special secondary education, including 8007 with pedagogical education (see Table 8).

Despite of the positive tendencies in providing of pre-school institutions with pedagogical staff, the level of their qualification remains unsatisfactory and does not correspond to the world standards.

Together with the decrease of the number of pre-school institutions, the number of teachers has been decreased as well. Table 8 presents the situation.

Teachers in pre-school institutions

Today 5397 teachers are engaged in pre-school institutions. 2833 (52%) out of them have higher education, 205 (3.8%) have incomplete higher, and 2320 (43%) have special secondary education, 489 out of them have not pedagogical education at all. Due to the reforms of education there is a reduction of staffs of teachers. In current year the number of teachers was reduced on 42.2% in comparison with the previous years and 4.2 times in comparison with 1990. The average ratio children/teacher is 14 children per a teacher. If in 1995 the average number of teachers per a pre-school institution was 5.65, today relevant figure is equal to 3.22 (Table 8, Figure 9).

In Tbilisi this index from 10.58 has decreased to 5.44 in 1997. Due to recovering of second shift teachers that was financed by local government bodies, the figure has grown up to 6.1. The number of children per a teacher

Figure 9. Rate children per teacher at pre-school institutions

has increased. In 1995 one teacher on the average was training 10.98 children, but in 1998 this figure was equal to 18.7. Specific weight of teachers was slightly, but decreased. On the average in 1995 one teacher was training 1.8 attendants of the fixed age-groups, in 1998 this number decreased to 1.2 .

The number of teachers who have 10 years working experience is equal to 15.8 %, the number of those with 10-15 years working experience is equal to 25.35 %, and the number of teachers having more than 15 years working experience is equal to 51.29 %.

The analysis of data for the last years has shown that the percentage of the teachers having more than 15 years working experience has grown to 1995 and now it equals to 35 %. The cancellation of staffs of the teachers working