Prosecutor’s Office Is Studying Current Situation in Kutaisi University

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

“University rector might be held responsible for the financial shortcomings discovered in Kutaisi Akaki Tsereteli State University,” University lecturers spread this statement several days before the new academic year starts. 

The Western Georgia’s Regional Prosecutor’s Office became interested in the financial conditions of the Tsereteli University after lecturers sued Rector Giorgi Gavtadze. They requested to check labor agreements and financial conditions of the University. 

Politically motivated prosecution of lecturers, unserious approach of lecturers towards students and lectures, rector’s endless business-leaves abroad, unreasonable expenditure of university funds – it is list of accusations, a group of lecturers announced after the parliamentary elections of October 1, 2012. 

Soon, lecturers petitioned to the former minister of education and science Giorgi Margvelashvili to dismiss the rector. However, Gvatadze stayed on the position. The Western Georgia’s Regional Prosecutor’s Office entered the university which still inspects financial conditions of the university.

“They inspected everything, even everyday repairs. However, they could not find anything suspicious so far. They will never find. Kutaisi Tsereteli State University is not organization where somebody can discover financial errors. Let them continue the investigation. We are looking forward to the end of the investigation and their conclusion,” Rector Giorgi Gvatadze said.

Since September 2010, Gvatadze was an interim rector at Kutaisi University; the elections of rector were held in December 2010 and he had no opponent in it. He was elected to the position for four years. Relation between him and lecturers got worsefrom the very first days. Later, before the parliamentary elections of 2012, the relations got particularly difficult.

Based on the complaint of the university lecturers, the prosecutor’s office started investigation into financial conditions of the university.

“The situation at the Kutaisi State University in the period when Gavtadze was the rector can be evaluated as terror; particularly before 2012 parliamentary elections. Lecturers had to participate in the pre-election meetings of the United National Movement. Nobody cared whether they wished to attend it or not. Those, who dared to refuse to go to the meeting, were inserted on the so-called “black list.” We believe, university must be an independent organization and be governed with democratic principles,” the lecturers said.

University students have condemned the fact of persecuting lecturers on political grounds and requested increase of education level at the university several times. Students’ union “Alternative Generation” met Rector Giorgi Gavtadze several times and discussed concrete cases with him and clarified that education fee at the university was not adequate to the education level.

“We applied to Gavtadze and explained that our parents pay huge money for our education but we cannot get adequate education at the university. We said that the rector and administration had to work harder to solve problems in order to enable students to get better education,” and the students still have same requirement. 

University administration says that the complaints are exaggerated and the Kutaisi Akaki Tsereteli State University is starting new academic year with many innovations. However, the prosecutor’s office is till inspecting the university.