Today, the Cabinet of Ministers of the ruling party Georgian Dream will approve the concept for higher education reform, which, according to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, encompasses all essential directions of the reform. He announced this prior to the start of the government meeting.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the reform holds special significance in all respects, including strengthening national security. Kobakhidze noted that the Ministry of Infrastructure will prepare a corresponding concept for developing infrastructure in Tbilisi, Rustavi, and Kutaisi.
“Today, we are approving the concept for higher education reform. The goal of this reform is for Georgian students to receive university-level education that meets the highest international standards. We all understand the critical importance of education and an educated society. The greatest threat to a country is a population that is undereducated or poorly educated.
An undereducated society is highly susceptible to manipulation and external interference. It is easier to sow hatred and spread dangerous ideologies, such as Bolshevism or fascism in the past, and what we see today as modern liberal fascism. Therefore, this reform carries special significance in all respects, including in terms of national security.
The connection between education and national security was well understood by those who deliberately weakened the education system over the past nine years. A well-educated society is best equipped to defend the national interests, independence, and security of the country. Adversaries of Georgia knew this, which is why from 2004 to 2012, they focused on weakening both higher and general education systems. What was damaged in the 1990s and further deteriorated from 2004–2012 must now be corrected, and this is the key objective of the higher education concept.
The concept covers all essential directions of the reform: institutional optimization, improvement of human resource policies, development of modern curricula and textbooks, integration of teaching and research, alignment of higher education priorities with labor market demands, and improvement of the financing system.
Additionally, the Ministry of Infrastructure will start developing the necessary infrastructure today. This will include modern facilities in Tbilisi, Rustavi, and Kutaisi, such as contemporary workspaces, classrooms, research laboratories, libraries, cultural and sports infrastructure, and dormitories. We aim to create two small paradises for our future students.
Tomorrow, the Minister of Education will present the concept for general education. The education reform must be comprehensive in scope, and alongside higher education reform, the reform in general education is equally important. Detailed information on this will be shared with the public by the Minister tomorrow,” the Prime Minister said.
