A march against the merger of two major universities, announced as part of an education reform, took place in Tbilisi. Participants came to the Georgian Parliament, where protests against government policies and demanding the release of detained activists have been taking place for 430 consecutive days.
As reported by the “Caucasian Knot,” the Georgian Education Minister announced the merger of Tbilisi State and Georgian Technical Universities, after which students from both universities held protests in Tbilisi. The goal of the reform is to reduce the teaching staff by firing government critics, they stated on the 428th day of daily protests. The following day, January 30, students and faculty from Georgia’s two largest universities held new protests against the government’s decision to merge the universities, and then joined a rally outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue.
A march under the slogan “Protect Education!” took place from the Tbilisi Philharmonic to the Georgian Parliament. Professors, teachers, and students, as well as members of various political parties and their supporters, are participating in the protest. They are protesting the education reform announced by the Georgian Dream party. The march ended at the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue, where the marchers joined the ongoing protest, InterPressNews reports.
The protesters were protesting the government’s decision to merge Tomsk State University and Tbilisi State Technical University.
On Rustaveli Avenue, near the parliament building, protesters initially occupied part of the road but later moved entirely to the sidewalk.
The protesters’ demands remain unchanged: call new parliamentary elections and release those detained during the protests, according to another agency publication.
Daily protests outside the Georgian parliament have continued for 430 consecutive days, according to Publika.
The decision to merge the two universities was one of the first steps in education reform.
Authorities announced a large-scale education reform for the fall of 2025. The announced initiatives include shortening the length of study (undergraduate programs to three years, master’s programs to one year, and school education to 11 grades instead of 12), implementing the “one city – one university” principle, which eliminates duplication of departments in public universities, and strengthening the role of the state in shaping educational needs, according to the “Georgia News” agency. Critics view these steps as a departure from the model adopted in the European educational space. The government, for its part, asserts that the reform is aimed at increasing the efficiency of universities, improving the quality of education, and adapting it to the needs of the labor market, which should ultimately reduce the outflow of young people from the country. A special council was created to develop the changes, including representatives of non-core ministries and even the mayor of Tbilisi, former football player Kakha Kaladze. After the council’s first week of work, the Ministry of Education announced plans to merge Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the Georgian Technical University — two of the country’s oldest universities with fundamentally different academic profiles.
Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, called for resistance to the reform, declaring the need to fight for the preservation of universities and the education system, according to the publication.
David Gurgenidze, Rector of the Georgian Technical University, addressed students and professors who gathered today outside the university building to protest the merger with Tbilisi State University. According to him, he plans to convene the Academic Council and hold an open discussion.
“We will not allow anyone to politicize this. No one here has the right to count people. Professors are not counted by their heads. I do not intend to resign. As long as I have this right from the state, I was elected by you and have legitimacy, I will be with you, no matter what decision is made. Therefore, I am interested in the opinion of every student and lecturer; let’s discuss it. By agreement with you, I will convene the Academic Council on Monday or Tuesday; there will be an open meeting, there will be a discussion,” Interpressnews quotes him as saying.
