I wanted to meet with you and discuss ongoing developments pertaining to our country’s future. I am also open to discussion of any matters with you, Georgian Prime Minster Irakli Garibashvili stated during today’s meeting with the graduates of the International Education Center.
According to the Head of Government, it is a very important undertaking and initiative.
“I Greet everyone, my dear friends! I am excited to be here with you. We have had numerous meetings and open conversations, discussions with you before. I am happy to see many familiar faces. I see Zviad Barkaia, Deputy Head of the Government Administration. About Zviad, I would like to say that I met him by accident. Zviad was one of the graduates of this center, and he was selected at random by the commission, and not just he, because I also see Nika and Niko, many people; I see Nino. I am personally acquainted with many of you.
“I believe that this is a very important undertaking and initiative. I am happy to see that this program initiated by us continues successfully. As for today’s event, I wanted to meet with you and discuss ongoing developments pertaining to our country’s future. I am also open to discussion of any matters that interest you. But summarizing the past eight years must be interesting to you, I believe, and for the public to once again hear about the outcomes. And the outcomes, I believe, are impressive because in the course of 8 years, we financed about 1,200 successful, distinguished students, and the state invested 42 million GEL to this end. We have selected the finest universities across the globe, and I am excited to appear before so many successful people. I want to thank you all and wish you success,” Irakli Garibashvili said.
As the Prime Minister pointed out, the main idea is to create strong, educated human capital in the country.
“Needless to say, this project must continue, and we are in the middle of talks about it with the new Minister. Also, I want to underline with pride that the new Minister has very good visions, and he intends to launch new reforms in the same area of higher education and others. He has very good ideas and visions in every direction, which he will share with you, of course. I believe that it has been an impressive eight years, but I also believe that we must expand even further, achieve a larger scope. The main goal is to create strong, educated human capital in the country. And, most importantly, this capital must be channel into our country, into our country’s empowerment. This is the main idea. You know that we are always ready to help and stand by our young people, distinguished students. I have said repeatedly that it is the state’s direct duty and obligation to provide youth with maximal assistance. And I would like to reiterate that this is not, of course, the only opportunity. We also have other ideas that I would like to discuss with you in a closed format. Most importantly, I would like to ask you to make sure that this discussion is-in line with tradition-as casual, open, transparent, and straightforward as usual. Once again, I thank all of you and wish you success. Your knowledge is our strength. This is human capital that is being shaped that we must ultimately use-in the right meaning of this word, of course-for the benefit of the country. Once again, I thank you for being with us today,” the Head of Government said.
The financing allocated to students in 2014-2023 has amounted to 42 million GEL. Within the scope of programs implemented in 2023, as of today, 179 scholarships have been issued. This year, it is planned to announced a follow-up competition for qualification enhancement programs. Since inception, the center’s scholarship-recipients have studied and continue to study in some of the leading schools of higher education in more than 30 countries.
In the academic year 2023-2024, with support from the Education Center, studies for Georgian citizens have been financed in such schools of higher education as Stanford University (US), Carnegie Mellon University (US), Oxford University (UK), Cambridge University (UK), the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Belgium), the New York Academy of Art (US), the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria), Duke University (US), Georgetown University (US), the Technical University of Munich (Germany), Sciences Po (France), Sorbonne University (France), ESCP Business School (UK), the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), Sichuan University (China), Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary), University of Debrecen (Hungary), and others.
The numbers of the center’s scholarship programs are growing every year. For example, three scholarship competitions were held in 2014, but today, with state financing and support from foreign partners, the center implements 14 scholarship/educational programs.
