On February 27th and 28th, 2014, public discussions on strategic development of higher education and research have been held in Kutaisi and Batumi.
Presentation of the project on “Strategic Development of Higher Education and Research in Georgia – Reform Supporting Platform Creation” was held in local universities with the financial support of Open Society Georgia Foundation. The project aimed at identifying strategic directions for the development of the country’s higher education and research and developing a strategic plan to transform the sector.
Project participants were the following experts: Tamaz Zaalishvili, Lela Chakhaia, Lali Bakradze, Tamar Bregvadze, Irina Darchia and Lika Glonti.
Within the framework of the project and on the basis of the Higher Education Policy Analysis, the institute has prepared the draft documents according to the following strategic directions:
The purpose of the presentations and discussions held in the region was the involvement of academic community, students, government officials and civil society in higher education reform processes.
The experts informed the audience about the analysis of the current situation of the higher education system.
The presentation was followed by discussions on the following topics: the necessity of establishing strategic plans for the development of universities, budget funding through diversification of sources, improving the system of social grants, refining the criteria of selecting academic staff, reconsideration of authorization / accreditation procedures, improvement of internationalization, establishment of career centers, E-learning development, and defining priorities for research activities.
Comments and remarks will be provided by the authors of the project in the final document that will assist the Ministry of Education and Science in the process of developing the strategic plan. The students noted that their needs should be more highlighted in the strategy.
University officials said that such meetings provide an opportunity for them to express their opinion on pressing issues, share their experiences with colleagues, and improve communication between Tbilisi and the regions and to reflect local problems in the policy documents.
The project partners were: the national office of TEMPS, Center for Social Sciences (CSS), Center for International Education (CIE) and OSF Academic Fellowship Program (AFP).
