PM Meets Representatives of Auditorium 115 at TSU
17 April, 2016
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met with the representatives of student movement Auditorium 115 on April 18. An hour-long meeting was held beyond the closed doors. PM Kvirikashvili said after the meeting that he will personally get involved in the work over the education law and will continue cooperation with students. The Prime Minister said that current form of self-governance is unacceptable and noted: “We will discuss its particular forms once again. We have agreed that they will set up a working group and we will work with it.”
Following his meeting with TSU students, PM Kvirikashvili also discussed the above mentioned issues at the meeting with Rector of the Tbilisi State University, Academician Vladimer Papava. “The Prime Minister came to TSU with a new initiative. He had a closed meeting with students. We have not discussed concrete issues but he told me that he is ready to promote serious reforms in the sphere of education,” Rector Papava said. After his meeting with the Prime Minister, Papava met with students gathered in Auditorium 115.
PM Kvirikashvili will hold another meeting with students in the second half of next week, where they will jointly discuss various issues. The Prime Minister said: “We will discuss in a working atmosphere the principles of financing, the criteria and structure of education system, as well as the structure of self-government bodies at TSU.”
“The Prime Minister agreed with our demands and expressed his readiness to cooperate with Auditorium 115. A working group will be set up and the government will actively work on the mentioned issues. The Prime Minister offered to define the funding of education and science relative to GDP,” representatives from Auditorium 115 said.
Following their meeting with the Prime Minister, the representatives of Auditorium 115 ceased picketing of TSU Building VI.
President of TSU Self-Governance, Shalva Sabauri also commented on the protest rally of Auditorium 115 and meeting between the Prime Minister and TSU students: “The fate of student self-governances throughout Georgia is not solved at TSU. In addition, when we talk about autonomy and when you ask the government to abolish self-governance through legislative amendments, it is equal to failure to understand the notion of autonomy. If we are saying that we want bottom-up democracy, then common student opinion is important and it is usually solved through elections. I think that the freedom mentioned in the existing law should be preserved. Students should choose themselves whether they want club-style system, existing system or another alternative system.”
Following his meeting with TSU students, PM Kvirikashvili also discussed the above mentioned issues at the meeting with Rector of the Tbilisi State University, Academician Vladimer Papava. “The Prime Minister came to TSU with a new initiative. He had a closed meeting with students. We have not discussed concrete issues but he told me that he is ready to promote serious reforms in the sphere of education,” Rector Papava said. After his meeting with the Prime Minister, Papava met with students gathered in Auditorium 115.
PM Kvirikashvili will hold another meeting with students in the second half of next week, where they will jointly discuss various issues. The Prime Minister said: “We will discuss in a working atmosphere the principles of financing, the criteria and structure of education system, as well as the structure of self-government bodies at TSU.”
“The Prime Minister agreed with our demands and expressed his readiness to cooperate with Auditorium 115. A working group will be set up and the government will actively work on the mentioned issues. The Prime Minister offered to define the funding of education and science relative to GDP,” representatives from Auditorium 115 said.
Following their meeting with the Prime Minister, the representatives of Auditorium 115 ceased picketing of TSU Building VI.
President of TSU Self-Governance, Shalva Sabauri also commented on the protest rally of Auditorium 115 and meeting between the Prime Minister and TSU students: “The fate of student self-governances throughout Georgia is not solved at TSU. In addition, when we talk about autonomy and when you ask the government to abolish self-governance through legislative amendments, it is equal to failure to understand the notion of autonomy. If we are saying that we want bottom-up democracy, then common student opinion is important and it is usually solved through elections. I think that the freedom mentioned in the existing law should be preserved. Students should choose themselves whether they want club-style system, existing system or another alternative system.”