Giorgi Amilakhvari, the Georgian Education Minister, on Thursday claimed Free and Agrarian Univeries had rejected the Government's “fair terms” to annule students’ debts, as part of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s September 15 decision. 

The official said his body had offered an “objective value” of the existing debt to private universities, which he said had been accepted by all of them except the two, pointing to their alleged “other interests”. 

He noted the two universities had 1,000 students with suspended status due to debts of a total 30,000 across the country, and added “unfortunately, at this stage” their debts would not be annulled. 

“Despite the fair terms we have offered, the universities have not expressed their desire so far  to cooperate”, Amilakhari said, rejecting claims by domestic media that the Ministry had tried to use specific levers to make an influence on private universities over students’ debts. 

“I declare with full responsibility that the mentioned information is not true and serves to mislead the public and deliberately damage this very important decision for students”, he said. 

Status will not be restored for the students who have it suspended for more than five years.