Students and Professors Protest Education Ministry's Quota Decisions at Ilia State University
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, February 16, 2026
Students and professors of Ilia State University held a protest march on Thursday against the Ministry of Education's decisions regarding the distribution of quotas in state universities.
The rally began in Dedaena Garden, where students and lecturers delivered speeches. Participants then marched to the building of Ilia State University, carrying banners reading "The university is autonomous" and "What does the government know about knowledge?" Shouts of "For education, to the end" and "Autonomy for universities" could be heard, and passing cars encouraged the marchers with their sirens.
Nino Doborjginidze, the rector of Ilia State University, spoke to Interpressnews at the site. She said, "Today is the anniversary of Iliauni. It has turned 20 years old, and unfortunately, with this completely invented principle of 'one city, one faculty,' the Georgian Dream has cut off the entire body of the most successful university today, 92% of its programs. We cannot agree with this; we have stated this many times. We will continue to fight for this at all levels - be it debates, robust academic process, or legal avenues."
She added, "We have appealed to the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister to meet with an expanded group of our professors and hear our arguments."
The protest comes after the Ministry of Education determined the admission quotas for the 2026-2027 academic year. Ilia State University will be able to admit only 300 students, while the Georgian Technical University will have 3,880 places and Tbilisi State University 6,650 places.
Organizers of the demonstration announced that another protest will be held on February 16 near the Ministry of Education, starting at 2:00 p.m.
