Georgia Moves to Shorten Higher Education Duration

Georgia announces plan to shorten the duration of higher education programs as part of a broader initiative to enhance alignment with labor market needs. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced this on October 16 during the presentation of the concept for higher education reform.

The presentation, attended by the Minister of Education, Science, and Youth, Givi Mikandze, highlighted major challenges currently facing Georgia’s higher education sector. These include excessive geographical concentration of universities, inefficient use of academic resources, inequality in teaching quality, lack of systematic personnel policy, a weak connection between teaching and research, outdated curricula and textbooks, misalignment between higher education and labor market demands, and inadequate university infrastructure.

Prime Minister Kobakhidze emphasized that each of these challenges requires targeted government intervention. He noted that the reform concept will undergo public discussions before taking its final form.

“The reform should focus on the geographical deconcentration of the higher education system, optimization of resources, and equalization of teaching quality across universities,” the Prime Minister stated.

As part of the proposed changes, the government is considering the introduction of a “3+1” higher education model, in which undergraduate studies would last three years followed by a one-year Master’s program, except for certain specialized fields such as medicine. Additionally, the Ministry of Education is developing a reform to transition schools to an 11-year curriculum.

Kobakhidze also underlined the importance of strengthening the connection between teaching and research, developing modern curricula and textbooks, and conducting labor market analyses to align academic training with employment needs.

The Prime Minister concluded his presentation by outlining plans to modernize university infrastructure across the country, noting that the government is “fully mobilized to achieve every objective” of the reform concept.