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Students Blame Credit Union for Violating Their Rights

May 17, 2007

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Students of the Gori Multi-Discipline Small Academy oppose the Credit Union. The members of the Academy’s self-government demand their rights protected who have enrolled the Credit Union. The reason for enrollment sounded too challenging for them, the union offered them one- percent loan in exchange for educational fee.

The Ministry of Education welcomed the establishment of the Credit Union because similar way of educational reform has been appropriated abroad for many years already. The Credit Union enables the poor families to give their children high education.

The students paid sixty lari to enroll the union. It was necessary to receive a loan in the case of emergency. As for other members who did not need the loan, Davit Doborjginidze, the head of the Credit Union, made more interesting proposals for them. These students could buy computers by installment, go on outings, get education abroad, and take free lessons in English language, etc.

The Credit Union created perfect web-site and placed its proposals on it. However, many students all over the country criticize them.

Students from Gori have become victims of financial machinations of the Union.

Zura Gabarashvilli is in his second year of the Law Faculty at the Gori Multi-Discipline Small Academy. He enrolled the Credit Union as he hoped the advantageous loan would assist him to pay the educational fee. However, he turned out to be cheated by the Union and as he cannot pay the fee, he might be dismissed from the Academy.

“I expected the Credit Union to transfer money on my account. Doborjginidze promised me that he would arrive in Gori to find out my situation personally and transfer the money by all means. I demand the Union to apportion credit to me otherwise I will appeal to the Court because that person was deceiving us for a long time. I have paid my participation fee to the union and they are not going to return that money either,” said Gabarashvili.

Ani Kvirikashvili has similar problem. Shi is a student of the second year at the Law Faculty too. She enrolled the Credit Union to pay the education fee with its help. The student is going to take a loan at the bank in order not to be dismissed from the Academy. The members of the Students’ Self-Government of the above-mentioned Academy are going to appeal to the Court against the Credit Loan. They cannot understand where all the money has gone, which the students had paid as participation fees. One of the students, Lekso Sukhitashvili left the Academy long before the board of the Academy decided to dismiss him for not having paid the fee.

“We want to show our sympathy to a victimized student. Lekso is one of the best students but he left the Academy because his debt to the Academy amounted to 3000 lari as he expected the Credit Union to pay his educational fee. Doborjginidze promised assistance to him until now. We demand the Credit Union to follow its resolution and assist those students. Otherwise we will appeal to the court,” said Tato Terunashvili, the chairman of the Students’ Self-Government.

Lecturers of the Academy are also concerned regarding the situation.

Arina Tavakarashvili, the lecturer said that “I was particularly sorry when the Chairman of the Credit Union made a statement where he said that they were not assisting the students not because they could not afford to pay the fee for education, but because they had entered the institutes without any corruption. If these students did not need the money, they would not have applied to the union. Besides our academy, there are many other high schools whose students were deceived by the union. Doborjginidze answered one of the students at the Gori State University, Revaz Nadiradze that “Did your parents rely on me?” Doborjginidze claims that he assists others and why are students from Gori discriminated then? We demand the punishment of that person according to the law.”

Davit Doborjginidze said that, he cannot see anything urgent in the fact that the students are going to appeal against him.

“Our union depends on accounts. We cannot issue the loans that are based on commerce. The question deals with only one percent. This organization is new and our activities are not clear to everybody. We have already started to give out loans. We are going to create resource centers where students will be employed. We are as much honest as much white the paper is. I do not know what to do now, because journalists are very severe in revealing the situation. Some students have large debts to the institute. Even if we assist them, they would not be able to pay off the whole debt,” said Doborjginidze.

  Thea Tedliashvili, Gori

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