Protests against education reform took place in Tbilisi

Daily protests outside the Georgian Parliament continue for the 452nd day. Also today in Tbilisi, students and faculty from Ilia University held a protest against education reform.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," marches in defense of education and demanding the release of political prisoners took place in Tbilisi on the 451st day of protests.

Today, a protest took place outside Ilia State University in Tbilisi under the slogan "Defend Iliauni."

The protest involved faculty and students expressing their disagreement with the Georgian Ministry of Education's decision on distributing quotas for state universities. Participants held banners with the slogans "Defend Education," "Defend Iliauni," and "Our Country Needs European Experience, Science, and Education." They also carried Georgian national flags. Earlier, the Georgian Minister of Education announced which state universities and which faculties would announce admissions, and also determined quotas for how many students the universities would accept.

Specifically, in the 2026-2027 academic year, Tbilisi State University will admit a total of 6,650 students to its current programs.

The Georgian Technical University has 3,880 places available for admission next academic year, and Ilia State University will be able to accept a total of 300 students.

Tbilisi State University will also announce admissions in the following fields: exact and natural sciences; humanities (except pedagogy); law; economics and business administration; social and political sciences. The Georgian Technical University will announce admission to engineering and technical disciplines, while Tbilisi State Medical University will announce admission to medical specialties.

Ilia State University will announce admission to ABET-accredited programs in pedagogy and STEM (natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Sukhumi State University will announce admission to agricultural specialties, Georgian and Abkhaz languages ​​and literature, and pedagogical programs, InterPressNews reports.

"Ilia University is the only state university in the country where a rector is not appointed, where rectors can freely select the academic staff," said Professor Tamara (Tata) Tsopurashvili. "This is the key to our success; it's why our university is one of the most attractive universities for young people," Publika quotes her as saying.

Students, faculty, and other citizens gathered in Building A of the university, then moved to Building E, where Ilia State University students read the manifesto.

"The university must remain free, the student voice must remain independent, and democracy must live. We will defend Ilia University!" the students declared at the rally.

Meanwhile, supporters of European integration continued their daily protest outside parliament for the 452nd day in a row. Protesters, holding Georgian flags, demanded the release of political prisoners and new parliamentary elections.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over 1,000 people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report, "Key Points to the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia."