The non-governmental organization the Center for Progress addresses the Prime Minister – Irakli Gharibashvili with a statement and asks to be involved in the education reform process. According to them, the involvement of students in this process is important for their development. Anna Dolidze, the leader of the movement “People”, which has been fighting for the rights of suspended students for several months, also joins the appeal.
According to the Center, access to higher education remains a significant challenge in Georgia. According to the student statement, “in 2020, the number of status suspended students reached a record high – 76,000 (almost every second student) could not continue their studies.” According to them, the problem is especially acute during a pandemic, against the background of severe socio-economic problems.
“According to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Education and Science has started working on changing the funding model for higher education. On July 30, Irakli Gharibashvili announced that a 10-year education system development document was being developed and that the higher education funding system would be changed.
“Therefore, addressing you on behalf of the Center for Progress “Student Coalition” (which brings together university students across Georgia), and we want to involve ourselves in the process of working on a higher education funding model so that we can protect the interests of students and deliver the reform to the youth,” the Progress Center said in a statement.