A delegation of Czech lawmakers visited the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on May 15. Jiří Zlatuška, Senator of the Czech Parliament and Chairman of the Committee for Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions, as well as members of the same committee met with TSU Rector, Academician Vladimer Papava and students. Czech Ambassador to Georgia, Tomáš Pernický also attended the meeting.
“The goal of our visit is to get acquainted with reform process in Georgia, especially in education sphere. From political point of view, the Czech Government supports Georgia’s EU integration. Therefore, the Czech Government finances the studies of Georgian students in the Czech Republic. Presently, over 100 Georgian citizens are undergoing studies in the Czech Republic. This is one of the major mechanisms to carry out dialogue between cultures. This visit is especially important for me, because I was elected as Rector of Masaryk University for two terms. The Masaryk University, like TSU, was always playing an important role in the country’s life. Therefore, meeting with TSU students is important and interesting for me,” MP Jiří Zlatuška said.
Tea Gergedava, the head of TSU Foreign Relations Department, said: “The Tbilisi State University has very close contacts with two Czech universities – Masaryk University and Charles University in Prague. TSU implements various exchange programs with these universities, including exchange programs financed by the Czech Government’s scholarships. Owing to these programs, each year several tens of students from TSU undergo studies in the Czech Republic. The today’s visit has reaffirmed that the Czech Government is interested in financing similar exchange programs in future too.”
During the meeting the Czech lawmakers spoke about Czech education system, problems existing in this sphere and ways of their solution. The guests got acquainted with the reforms ongoing in the Georgian higher education system, as well as the issues of student involvement in exchange programs with European universities. By the end of the meeting Czech lawmakers answered the questions asked by Georgian students.
