Rector of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), Academician Vladimer Papava held a press conference in connection with setting up a new faculty – the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.
On June 26, 2014 the Academic Council and the Representation Council (Senate) of the Tbilisi State University made a decision to set up the university’s key educational unit – the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. With this purpose, the direction of psychological sciences was separated from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, while the direction of educational sciences was separated from the Faculty of Humanities. Thus, the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences will be established through the merger of the above mentioned educational directions. The organizational issues related to the foundation and functioning of the new faculty will be finalized by late 2014.
“These two scientific branches need special assistance, because they have appeared in an extremely grave situation because of objective or subjective factors. Professors of psychology direction have been demanding setting up of an independent faculty for years. As far as pedagogy is concerned – all previous pedagogical institutes were transformed into universities and this direction lost traditional support from the state. Therefore, we decided to strengthen them through continuing old traditions and sharing new world experience. We have studied all relevant issues and this decision is the result of a long work. The university is a living organism and we will not implement any artificial change if it is not supported substantially by the public and if relevant financial support is not provided. TSU Academic Council and Representation Council have unanimously supported setting up of the new faculty. We have undergone consultations with the Ministry of Education and Science and received full support,” TSU Rector Vladimer Papava said.
The School of Psychology and Educational Sciences has a century-old history at the Tbilisi State University. As far back as autumn 1917, when the first preliminary session of the Council of Professors was held in the apartment of Ekvtime Takaishvili, it was decided to establish only one faculty at the newly opened university – the Faculty of Philosophy, which would have united humanitarian fields as well as natural science and mathematics. The list of humanities included pedagogy from the very beginning. The founders were attaching huge importance to this branch of science from the very beginning. Therefore, in September 1919 the Institute of Pedagogy was set up at the university and Professor Dimitri Uznadze was elected as its head.
Along with other branches the very first generation of the university was also studying the science of psychology. Along with the institute’s management, Dimitri Uznadze also delivered lectures in psychology. On his initiative a psychology laboratory was opened at the university in 1923, while in 1926 the society of psychologists was established uniting TSU alumni. Dimitri Uznadze’s theory of set was created and improved at the university. The Georgian School of Psychology was also developed in the walls of the university.
The psychological branch was developing at the university under the faculty of history, then under the faculty of law and finally under the faculty of psychology-philosophy. The Faculty of Psychology, as an independent unit, was founded only in 1990. In 2005, the Faculty of Psychology merged with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences as one of its directions.
During the press conference TSU Rector Vladimer Papava also spoke about the launch of a new MA program “Demography and Population Geography.” He said that “by introducing this new program, teaching of demography will be restored at the university, scientific and research activities will be carried out in this direction that will promote the country’s development.”
TSU Rector Vladimer Papava also spoke about one more novelty: “By decision of the TSU Representation Council, faculty deans will have two deputies – in educational part and scientific part. In its time, the founders of TSU established the university as a scientific and educational institution. Our professors are very successful on international arena; however, we cannot boast about our scientific activities at the faculties. With the help of a new deputy dean, scientific work will be promoted and boosted.”
The Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University was founded in 1918. Today six faculties are functioning at the university: faculty of exact and natural sciences; faculty of economics and business; faculty of law; faculty of medicine; faculty of social and political sciences and faculty of humanities. A new faculty of psychology and educational sciences will start functioning from late 2014.
Over 20 thousand students are studying at the Tbilisi State University.
