“University education cannot be entirely linked to market research. It can be only one component of the university education, revealing the needs of the private sector, while the government’s mission is to turn this market into a highly skilled market, based on technologies,” said Nino Doborjginidze, Rector of the Ilia State University.

The Ilia State University Rector remarked on the market research findings presented by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

“University education cannot be entirely linked to market research. The main goal of university education is to teach universal principles of thinking, according to various specific fields, which are applied in practice by the academic community,” she said.

According to Nino Doborjginidze, the university community demands a meeting with the Prime Minister and Minister of Education to review disputable issues, especially with respect to deficient and low-demand programs for which the government issues scholarships.

“Leaving aside deficient and unique programs, it is impossible to cut or change the university system without university representatives. This leads to misunderstandings and confusion,” she said.

The Ilia State University Rector believes that market studies cannot solve professional issues.

“No market research can fully tell you what the purpose of a university education is. It can be only one component of the university education, revealing the private sector’s needs, while the government’s mission is to turn this market into a highly skilled market, based on technologies,” she said.

Nino Doborjginidze added that a quality management and control system should be established.

“The main task of the state is to create a labor market based on high-technology standards, as the Baltic states did, for instance, instead of the government’s or the Education Ministry’s taking over the tasks of the National Centre for Quality Control,” she concluded.