One More College Is Going to Be Closed in Batumi

Students and lecturers of the abolished Batumi State Multifield College are holding protest demonstrations. They demand to maintain their college. Aleksi Chikvaidze, Ministry of Education in Adjara Autonomous Republic stated that several Batumi based colleges were optimized which will have better output in the future. Jumber Tavartkiladze, representative of the People’s Party, organized the demonstration and stated the Ministers are enemies of education.

Lecturers and students of the Batumi Multifield State College stated that under the resolution of the Adjara Ministry of Education, they remained in the street. “They have joined us to the Industrial College. According to our information that college does not have its own building and it belongs to the organization “Mamulishvili”. Georgian Ministry of Education passed resolution on our program as well as our stuff schedule of the annual budget which completely coincides with state standards. In addition to that Georgian Ministry of Education carried out official expertise in our college and they surveyed all tutorial schedules and programs. We prepared new tutorial schedule. But now we cannot understand what is going on,” said Badri Gechbaia, deputy director of the college, who added that Zhuzhuna Zoidze, director of the college, had heart attack because of the incident.

“Our college has been Trading Vocational Institute for 75 years.  Initially they told us that the college would expand its activities. But now it seems we will not exist anymore. As we have found out they are selling out the building,” said Tamar Samitashvili, the lecturer.

Students also protest new decision. Tamta Shekiladze, student of the first year at the faculty of Business and Marketing, said that the government is blatantly violating their rights: “We entered the state college and we were going to take three-year-course. Now they are closing down our college. This government sold out everything. I wonder what they are going to leave for their descendents?! “

Aleksi Chikvaidze stated that the optimization of colleges is part of education reform. “It is natural that the reform has its opponents. New institutes will be established on the base of old ones. Their status will change and they will be vocational training centers. Several average vocational colleges will transform into High Vocational Educational Centers. This particular college will join industrial and tutorial colleges. Both students and lecturers will be shared. As for the building it is state property and it will be granted to the Ministry of Economics.”

The demonstration was supported by Jumber Tavartkiladze. “Almost every day we witness criminal accidents between juveniles. Why does it happen? Because children are left in the street where they grow up into criminals. Chikvaidze does not know what specialists are prepared at this college. Aleksandre Lomaia, Georgian Minister of Education and Science, sent this man to the region, to close down educational centers.”

Emzar Diasamidze, Batumi