Education expert Shalva Tabatadze says Georgia’s higher education reform has failed to achieve its stated goals of improving quality and aligning universities with labor market needs. He argues that, from a business perspective, private universities benefited more than public institutions.
Tabatadze said private universities enrolled around 1,600 more students than last year, while fees increased for some programs, including law, business administration and computer science. He said Ilia State University and regional universities were among the biggest losers, with Iliauni enrolling just 338 students against a planned 4,000.
He also warned that the reform has reduced access to free education for vulnerable groups. Enrollment of ethnic minority students at public universities reportedly fell by about 15%, while the “one city, one faculty” model and program cuts in regional universities have limited educational choices for young people outside Tbilisi.
The reform introduced free tuition at public universities, changed their funding system and abolished state grants, while reducing academic programs and admission quotas. Tabatadze said it remains unclear whether private universities will maintain education quality after significantly increasing student numbers, but financially, the changes have been advantageous for them.
