Georgian PM: minimum salary for full professors to reach $3,697 under education reform

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday announced under the country’s upcoming education reform, the minimum salary for full-time full professors would be set at ₾10,000 ($3,697), in addition to honoraria for academic and research activities.

Speaking at the presentation of the reform, Kobakhidze emphasised the core of universities should consist of full-time academic staff, ensuring higher quality and stability in the higher education system.

“Each field should have one leader - a full professor - working with two or three associate professors and more than 10 assistant professors. This structure will form the main academic core within universities and create better conditions for professors,” Kobakhidze stated.

“Currently, the average salary for top-ranking academic staff is around ₾2,000 ($739.50). We believe that full-time full professors should receive a minimum salary of ₾10,000, plus additional honoraria for activities such as preparing textbooks and academic papers. This approach will significantly raise the quality of higher education,” he added.

The Prime Minister added other teaching staff may continue to work on an hourly basis with proportionally lower pay, but the focus of the reform would be on strengthening the full-time academic workforce.