Former Deputy Minister of Education David Zurabishvili has sharply criticized the government’s higher education reforms, calling them “incompetent and anti-national.” In a post on social media, he outlined what he believes should be done to halt the reforms, emphasizing that protests are necessary but not sufficient.
Zurabishvili highlighted that the government’s decision to abandon the merger of Tbilisi State University (TSU) and the Georgian Technical University (GTU) was motivated by fear of losing public support. He argued that this precedent should be leveraged to increase awareness of the harmful consequences of current policies.
“Street protests are essential, especially mobilizing students - not just from Ilia University and Sukhumi University, but from all higher education institutions. Solidarity is a great strength. At the same time, other forms of activism are crucial,” Zurabishvili wrote.
He also warned that government propaganda will attempt to portray the closure of Ilia University as a necessary measure against opposition forces and depict the institution as a place of ideological indoctrination.
In addition to domestic activism, Zurabishvili stressed the importance of engaging the international academic community. He proposed mobilizing support from universities and scholars worldwide to amplify the protest and create external pressure on the government. He concluded that education reform is not a partisan issue and affects everyone, regardless of political affiliation, and must be clearly communicated to the public in understandable terms.
