“The government’s aim is to cleanse Georgian society of undesirable elements - thinking, conscientious, and patriotic citizens,” wrote Salome Samadashvili, one of the leaders of the party Lelo - Strong Georgia, on social media.

According to Samadashvili, the reforms announced by the government are, in essence, analogous to the Bolsheviks’ actions against Georgian society - loading people into wagons and executing them.

“The Bolsheviks acted against Georgian society even faster - they loaded people into wagons and shot them. What is happening in the country today - the destruction of disobedient academic institutions, the criminalization of independent funding, business terror, and so on - is, in essence, a similar act.

The goal is the same: to purge Georgian society of undesirable elements - thinking, conscientious, and patriotic citizens. The task is clear - to leave them without the possibility of existence, forcing them either to leave the country or to serve the regime.

This attempt is doomed - the ‘undesirable element’ is, in my view, already sufficiently large. The academic community, I hope, has seen the value of solidarity - it will not silently accept yet another attempt to subordinate the academic space to the regime,” wrote Salome Samadashvili.

For reference, the Education Minister outlined which state university will admit students to which faculties:

Tbilisi State University: students will be admitted in exact and natural sciences; humanities (excluding pedagogy); law; economics and business administration; social and political sciences.

Georgian Technical University: admissions will be for engineering and technical disciplines.

Tbilisi State Medical University: admissions will focus on medical specialties.

Ilia State University: admissions will focus on pedagogy programs and ABET-accredited STEM specialties.

Sokhumi State University: admissions will focus on agricultural specialties, Georgian-Abkhaz language and literature, and pedagogy.

Universities of Arts and Sports: students will be admitted to relevant programs.

Batumi and Kutaisi Universities: will maintain a multi-functional structure.

Universities in Zugdidi, Gori, Akhaltsikhe, and Telavi: emphasis will be on agricultural specialties, tourism, and pedagogy.

At this stage, according to the government-approved resolution, the agricultural programs temporarily remain under Georgian Technical University, meaning admissions will be conducted under its name. However, in the coming days, a reorganization process will begin, after which, within several months, the agricultural programs will move under the supervision of Sokhumi State University.

“Accordingly, in the 2026-2027 academic year, newly admitted students in the agricultural faculty will begin their studies at Sokhumi State University,” stated Givi Mikanadze at a briefing held at the Government Administration.