“We believe that higher education reform is important for the state; however, the turbulence and ongoing processes triggered by an individual, unplanned initiative clearly reflect the significance of the issue, its sensitivity, and the necessity for transparency,” reads the minutes of February 4 from the Representative Council (Senate) of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

As stated in the minutes, the initiative to merge with the Georgian Technical University (GTU) is neither justified nor appropriate. The Senate demands that the process be returned to the academic sphere, that dialogue be established, that university representatives be involved in examining the matter, and that decisions be made with respect for the principle of autonomy.

“Regrettably, to date, no institution has produced concrete research findings or any other form of justification regarding the improvement of educational/research quality through the merger of these two universities, nor of any other possible positive impact. The Senate particularly emphasises the principle of university autonomy, which represents a fundamental foundation of the modern higher education system. Among other things, autonomy guaranteed by Georgia’s Constitution ensures universities’ independence in governance processes. The merger issue, without transparency, appropriate academic participation, internal consultation, and genuine involvement of university governing bodies, creates a risk of restricting autonomy and runs counter to the governance standards established in the European Higher Education Area.

Furthermore, the Senate believes that such large-scale institutional reorganisation carries administrative and academic risks, including: incompatibility of management systems, uncertainty regarding the status of academic and administrative staff, incompatibility of internal quality assurance mechanisms and teaching-learning process management systems, and organisational instability. The merger will cause governance difficulties over a considerably long-term period, which will directly affect the quality of education. Moreover, the merger of the two universities will inevitably lead to redundancies amongst both academic and administrative staff.

Based on the above, the TSU Representative Council (Senate) believes that the plan to merge Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Georgian Technical University is not justified and not appropriate. The Senate demands that the process be returned to the academic sphere, that dialogue be established, that university representatives be involved in examining the matter, and that decisions be made with respect for the principle of autonomy.

Taking all of the above into account, we believe that the process of merging the two universities must be halted in this form and that active communication with the parties must continue,” states the February 4 minutes.