Nino Tsilosani completed her doctorate at the Georgian Technical University (GTU). I ask her: if she disliked it so much, why did she enroll at GTU and why did she accept our diploma? - this is how GTU professor Nato Katamadze responded to Parliament Vice-Speaker Nino Tsilosani’s statement that “students will benefit the most from the initiative to merge TSU and GTU, as they will graduate with a diploma from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.”

Speaking on Palitra News’ program Résumé, Katamadze emphasized that GTU professors take pride in remembering how diligently the university was built and developed.

“Nino Tsilosani made a statement that GTU students will be happy if they graduate from Javakhishvili University and receive its diploma. I will say that Nino Tsilosani completed her doctorate at GTU in the transport field in 2020. I ask her: if she disliked it so much, why did she enroll at the Technical University and accept our diploma? We are proud - very proud. Every professor came to the rally in the rain, trembling, recalling how diligently everything was built and done, and now some deputy who never studied at GTU shows up. Probably she went to the first campus, where her doctoral program was,” Katamadze said.

According to Professor Katamadze, when the government makes decisions bypassing the university community, “it is always doomed.”

“The most important thing is that when the government makes decisions bypassing the university community, it is always doomed. This information was not only broadcast to us on television, even the rector learned it the day before. I think even the minister found out the day before. Ten days earlier, we had the university’s 104th anniversary; the minister, members of parliament attended, praised us, wished us success, and even offered help - whether that help was later withdrawn, I didn’t know. A few days later, we learned what we are hearing now. Therefore, I doubt whether the minister even knew. If he knew everything and was clear about it, why didn’t he tell us? If he didn’t know, then he was in the same bad position as we were, and I think we should even go to protect him and organize rallies,” Katamadze stated.

Context: By government decision, Tbilisi State University (TSU) and Georgian Technical University (GTU) will merge. A temporary management body - a council - will be created by ministerial order, and acting rector and deputy rectors will be appointed to oversee the reorganization process.