PM Kobakhidze: Georgian students must have access to same quality of higher education as in developed countries

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said the country’s higher education system must evolve to meet modern standards, ensuring that Georgian students can receive the same quality of education as their peers in developed countries.

Speaking on Imedi LIVE, Kobakhidze emphasised that achieving this goal is both ambitious and entirely realistic.

“Everyone agrees that today, the higher education system does not fully meet contemporary challenges and standards. Therefore, our ambitious objective is to ensure that Georgian students can obtain the same level of higher education in Georgia as they would in developed countries,” said the Prime Minister.

Kobakhidze also discussed the geographical deconcentration of higher education, noting that currently, more than 85 percent of students study in the capital city of Tbilisi, which contributes to the capital’s overpopulation and regional imbalance.

“The capital is already heavily loaded, which creates various challenges, including increased migration. The share of Tbilisi’s population in the country has risen to 34 percent. The current university system reinforces this trend - students come to Tbilisi for education and stay because of better employment opportunities,” he said.

The Prime Minister added decentralising higher education can promote balanced regional development, particularly by strengthening Kutaisi and Rustavi as university cities.

“We aim to enhance infrastructure in these cities, which will, in turn, create new employment opportunities and stimulate regional growth. Additionally, we plan to strengthen the five regional state universities - in Batumi, Akhaltsikhe, Gori, Telavi and Zugdidi - by expanding their infrastructure and capacity. These universities will focus primarily on pedagogical, agricultural, and vocational education, which will further contribute to educational and economic decentralization,” Kobakhidze noted.

He added that the Government’s long-term vision is to ensure equal social and economic opportunities across all regions, in line with Georgia’s constitutional development goals.