Deputy Minister of Education Zviad Gabisonia says the government does not plan to revise university mobility rules at this stage, despite the upcoming reform that will make education free in public universities while remaining paid in private institutions.
Gabisonia responded to MP Vladimer Bozhadze, who raised concerns about how students will transfer from private to public universities under the new funding model.
“There is existing legislation on mobility, and we do not plan to revise it for now,” Gabisonia said. However, he noted that the reform might prompt further consideration, as highly rated students might be more inclined to transfer to state universities. According to him, several options could be examined in the future, including GPA-based quotas or removing mobility options altogether.
Gabisonia emphasized the need to prevent manipulation of the system: “We must ensure that students with lower academic performance cannot use legislative loopholes to transfer. We may introduce some GPA thresholds to avoid this type of manipulation.”
He added that state universities themselves set certain barriers, such as opening mobility windows at their discretion, and if they open mobility, it applies to all eligible students.
Parliament is reviewing the “Georgian Dream” higher education reform in an accelerated manner, with adoption expected today, December 10.
