Georgian Education Minister says opposition’s ‘baseless, absurd’ claims on education reform aim to hinder system’s development

Georgian Education Minister Givi Mikanadze on Monday said opposition representatives and affiliated individuals had been making “baseless” and “absurd” accusations against the new higher education reform concept, which he described as “unacceptable” coming from those who had “done nothing” to improve the education system in the past.

Mikandze added these individuals lacked “any substantive arguments” and their statements were intended to provoke and mislead the public.

“The fact is simple - the concept outlines a concrete vision for how we should address the current challenges in the education system. It provides a framework for aligning the system with the interests of the country and society. We are ready to discuss these issues with relevant focus groups and this work has already begun. In the coming days, we will organise meetings and listen to constructive, well-reasoned opinions and criticism,” Mikandze stated.

He added that “manipulative” and “unfounded” statements from the opposition once again demonstrated that their only goal was to obstruct the development of the system.

“Final decisions will be made based on discussions. Afterwards, the Government will approve the concept, which will serve as the foundation for implementing the reform,” the Minister said.

Mikandze noted that the higher education reform concept presented by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the main challenges in the sector and included seven key focus areas.

“For each of these seven areas, we have developed corresponding steps that we believe will help overcome existing challenges. The successful implementation of these objectives will bring the quality of higher education in Georgia closer to international standards,” Mikandze concluded.