Education

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Nene Kvinikadze, a Georgian scriptwriter, at a ‘teach-out’ on 21 November. Photo: Shota Kincha/OC Media.

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Georgia’s students take their lectures to the streets

by Shota Kincha

•5 min read

A group of students at Ilia State University (ISU) in Tbilisi have spontaneously come together to form a new student group in protest against the rigged parliamentary elections — with one form of protest including organising their lectures on the streets. On 19 November, the Iliauni Student Movement at Tbilisi’s most progressive university organised their first publicly visible initiative, taking the lead from Georgian writers Lasha Bughadze and Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili, who delivered a ser

Ilia State University campus, Tbilisi. Image: ISU.

Education

Georgia’s Education Ministry withholds full accreditation from Ilia State University

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

Georgia’s Ministry of Education has withheld full accreditation from Ilia State University (ISU), with critics attributing the move to the university’s staff and students’ opposition to the controversial foreign agent law. On Friday, Ilia State University reported that the Authorisation Council for Higher Education Institutions had granted them authorisation ‘with the condition of monitoring after a year’. According to the university, this decision was made despite having received positive

Armenia

Decision to reduce Russian classes in schools leads to debate in Armenia

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•2 min read

A July decision by the Armenian Government to reduce mandatory Russian classes in schools has led to debate in the country, after a report by Sputnik Armenia suggested Armenia may intend to phase out compulsory Russian from schools entirely. On Friday, the Russian state-owned news agency published a report about the decision citing anonymous teachers and education specialists. The report was misinterpreted by some online who thought the government was completely removing Russian language fro

Yerevan State Univercity. Image by the YSU.

Armenia

Lecturer accuses Yerevan State University of firing staff over opposition protests

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•1 min read

A lecturer at the Yerevan State University (YSU) has accused the university of firing him and others for participating in opposition protests. On Monday, Abraham Gasparyan, a lecturer at the university’s International Relations faculty, said YSU had fired him over his political stances calling his dismissal ‘baseless, ignorant, and undignified’. Gasparyan, who also hosts a show on opposition-leaning ABC Media, claimed that around ten of his colleagues had been fired for similar reasons and

Armenia

Change of school history subject title stirs controversy in Armenia

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•2 min read

A proposal to change the name of a school subject, Armenian History, to the History of Armenia has stirred controversy in the country, despite government reassurances that the curriculum would remain unchanged. During a meeting of the ruling Civil Contract party last week, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that a group of teachers and scientists had appealed to the Ministry of Education to change the subject’s name. Pashinyan stated that he agreed with the proposal, adding that he ‘blame

Analysis

Datablog | How has Georgia changed in the last decade?

by Givi Silagadze

•4 min read

A recent survey suggests that Georgians tend to believe that poverty, crime, and corruption have increased in the last decade, while affordable healthcare has become more accessible. However, available public data does not always match these assessments. Recent public opinion surveys suggest that Georgians feel increasingly worried about where the country is headed. As of August 2022, less than a quarter of the electorate believed that Georgia was going in ‘the right direction’. While the

Students of Yerevan's Brusov University protest the merger decision on 17 October. Image via Panaroma.am.

Armenia

Yerevan’s Brusov University students protest merger

by Ani Avetisyan

•1 min read

Hundreds of students from Yerevan’s Brusov State University have protested a decision to merge their university with two others in the Armenian capital. The government intends to merge the university with the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) and the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport (ASIPC). It is unclear when the prospective merger will take place. Students first began mobilising last week after the draft decision was leaked. Their concerns were validated af