Ilia State University: Highest Collegial Governing Boards’ Statement
Announcements
Today, the Government of Georgia made a decision, and the Minister of Education, Science, and Youth issued a statement regarding the allocation of quotas in state universities, “in accordance with the principle of one city – one faculty established by the Higher Education Reform Concept, essentially taking into account the traditional profiles of universities”.
Under this decree, Ilia State University is prohibited from admitting students to all academic programs except pedagogy and ABET-accredited STEM fields.
This decision is unconstitutional and undermines higher education in Georgia, university autonomy, and academic freedom. It destroys internationally recognized research areas and academic programs, as well as the country’s prospects for European development.
Ilia State University is an authorized higher education institution that, under this decision, is prohibited from admitting students to fully accredited programs. The university is deprived of the opportunity to conduct research in high-level scientific laboratories and at unique research bases located in various regions of Georgia, which have been developed over the years through local and international collaboration
This decree strips Ilia State University of the ability to implement educational and research programs across all fields of science – including social sciences and humanities, life sciences, and Physical sciences – in which Ilia State University is the undisputed national leader according to international rankings.
This harmful decision affects not only more than 17,000 students and up to 3,000 employees of Ilia State University, but also the broader society, to whose development the university makes a significant contribution.
We demand the revocation of this decision, which is not based on evidence or research data, does not take into account the positions of field experts, and destroys Ilia State University’s achievements in research and teaching.
We call on the decision-makers to immediately meet with the university community.
- Academic Board, Ilia State University
- Representative Board, Ilia State University
- Faculty Board, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
- Board, School of Law
- Faculty Board, Natural Sciences and Medicine
- Faculty Board, Business, Technology, and Education