GRASS co-founder Sergi Kapanadze sharply criticized the government’s proposed higher-education reform, arguing it is neither a genuine reform nor an improvement but rather a package that will destroy competition and politicize universities. In a detailed social-media post, Kapanadze warned that measures such as the “one city - one faculty” rule, shortening study cycles, and shifting public funding will hollow out academic diversity and push Georgia away from European standards.
Kapanadze outlined several concrete objections. He said the proposed 3+1 (bachelor + master) model and move to an 11-year school system reduce total study time and leave students with too few credits for substantive training. He also warned that concentrating faculties in single state universities will remove local choices, force students into regional campuses, and likely lead to the sale of valuable state-university real estate to fund the changes.
Beyond logistics, Kapanadze argued the reform has an ideological edge: it will weaken academic competition, enable political control over staffing and curricula, and make it harder for students to continue studies abroad under the Bologna framework. He predicted top students would flock to private institutions, undermining the stated public-interest goals and leaving state universities weakened and politicized.
Concluding, Kapanadze said the vision for fixed staffing ratios (one professor, three associate, ten assistants per department) and the wider package are unrealistic and harmful, serving an authoritarian appetite for a compliant, centralized education system rather than advancing quality, interdisciplinarity, or European integration.
