On June 6–7, UNICEF Greece and the University of Patras hosted an international conference titled “The Role of Academia in Promoting Child Rights” at the University of Patras, Greece. Marianna Khundzakishvili, Assistant Professor at the Caucasus University School of Education, took part in the event.

During the conference, she presented one of the key strategies of the Caucasus School of Education for the comprehensive preparation of future teachers. This strategy focuses on fostering students’ personal, socio-emotional, and metacognitive competencies while raising their awareness of mental health and children’s rights. The goal is to train educators who can support children’s socio-emotional development and implement rights-based education in schools.

In this context, in the fall semester of the 2024–2025 academic year, the School of Education, in partnership with the Black and Baltic Sea Alliance – Georgia, introduced an elective course titled “Socio-Emotional Development – Basic Course.” Looking ahead, the school plans to offer an enriched, two-semester program for first-year pedagogy students with the updated name “Personal, Social and Learning Competence.”

Offering this course from the very beginning of their studies is essential: students are immediately immersed in the shared values that underpin respectful, rights-based relationships. They also begin building a portfolio of academic essays and practical activities, which they will continue to develop throughout their studies. Strengthening these competencies from the outset will also help students navigate academic and personal challenges more effectively, adapt smoothly to university life, and prepare for future success in their pedagogical activities.