An event marking the launch of the 2016-2017 Academic Year was held at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on September 26. As a result of the Unified National Exams in 2016, about 3500 students were enrolled in TSU with 70% receiving state grants. New Rector of TSU, Giorgi Sharvashidze; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Dimitri Kumsishvili; Minister of Education and Science, Aleksandre Jejelava; Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri; State Minister for Diaspora Issues, Gela Dumbadze; Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Nodar Javakhishvili; Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania; Chairman of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo, Giorgi Alibegashvili; government members and rectors of other universities attended the event.
TSU Rector Giorgi Sharvashidze congratulated students on the beginning of the new academic year: “We have prepared a lot of new things for students; the building, which houses the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, has been renovated. A lot of projects have been implemented during summer: scientific research bases have been renewed; four research institutions and the scientific library have been renovated. Two new laboratories have been opened: the first-ever smart lab in the Caucasus and the Bloomberg lab. We have a lot of novelties and I wish the students to make the years spent at the university most interesting and memorable”, - Giorgi Sharvashidze said.
The first-year students enrolled with highest scores received memorable gifts. TSU announced about the launch of the eighth season of a literary competition Autumn Legend, a joint project of TSU and the company Geocell. All creative students are eligible to participate in the competition.
The event marking the launch of the new academic year was held amid protests by a group of students. Rector Sharvashidze offered a dialogue to the students from Auditorium 115. During the meeting with the Rector, students raised a number of issues, including acceleration of legislative amendments, enabling students to choose subjects despite non-payment of tuition fees and other issues. Sharvashidze responded to the questions asked by students and offered them to continue relations in a format of dialogue. “We discussed a lot of painful issues. There are some issues, which can be solved quickly. Other issues should be settled through legislation and we are ready to develop legislative amendments and initiate them. We are going to work openly on how the university should develop. I reiterate the issue included in the concept, our door is open for cooperation. Within three months we should develop the university’s strategic development plan and all stakeholders will be able to get involved in it. The fact is that the university faces a number of problems today and we should jointly find a solution. I believe that in the near future serious steps will be taken to turn the university into an exemplary place for research and education not only in Georgia,” Rector Sharvashidze said.
TSU meets a new academic year with renovated infrastructure. With the financial support of the Agency for Development of Educational and Scientific Infrastructure of the Ministry of Education and Science, rehabilitation works were carried out at TSU buildings and research institutions, including Alexander Natishvili Institute of Morphology, housing the Faculty of Medicine; Andronikashvili Institute of Physics; National Scientific Library; Petre Melikishvili Institute of Physics and Organic Chemistry.
Over 200 accredited educational programs are implemented at seven faculties of TSU with over 20 000 students undergoing their studies there, including Abkhazian, Azerbaijani and Armenian language students enrolled in the Georgian language educational program.
