The number of ethnic minorities attaining higher education remains low. Only 26% of the minorities achieve higher education, while the figure for the total population is 43%.
Our Comment
The existing preferential policy aimed at enhancing access to higher education for ethnic minorities has shortcomings. Undergraduate students face financial and academic challenges, as well as problems related to the language barrier.
What does the 1+4 Program entail?
Since 2010, a preferential policy known as the 1+4 program has been established to facilitate access to higher education for ethnic minorities. This program entails passing a general aptitude test conducted in ethnic minority languages. Upon accumulating the necessary points, they undergo a one-year program to learn the Georgian language. Successful completion of this course allows them to proceed to pursue their studies at the faculty of their choice. Moreover, a quota of 5% of the total seats is allocated for the Armenian and Azerbaijani-speaking applicants. Additionally, funding opportunities are provided for a maximum of 100 students for each language group.
This program stands as one of the vital and successful mechanisms for fostering civil integration and enhancing access to higher education for ethnic minorities. Notably, since its inception, particularly from 2010 to 2019, the number of students representing ethnic minorities has been increasing each year, with only a slight decrease attributed to the pandemic during the period from 2020 to 2022. Since then, the enrollment of ethnic minorities in the program has returned to the upward trend. Over the last five years, 5,837 individuals became students, with only 951 receiving state funding, amounting to just 16% of the total number.
Diagram N1
| Year of enrollment | Total Number of students | Number of Students Received Funding |
| 2019 | 1334 | 186 |
| 2020 | 1191 | 193 |
| 2021 | 1180 | 191 |
| 2022 | 1202 | 196 |
| 2023 | 1300 | 185 |
Persisting Challenges
Funding/financial expenses - Since the 1+4 program requires taking a general aptitude test in the native languages of ethnic minorities, and such subject is not taught at public schools, preparation for this test entails additional (tutoring) costs. Given that the study grants within the framework of this program are available only in limited amounts, this situation creates unequal conditions for applicants who need more financial means to afford tutoring.
Students who require more funding not only have to cover the costs of the preparatory course (lasting one university year) to learn the Georgian language but also are restricted from accessing tuition-free study opportunities in state-funded specialties within the framework of this program.
The discrepancy in the levels of students’ language proficiency – One of the challenges of the Georgian language training program lies in the varying levels of language proficiency among students upon admission to the university, necessitating a tailored Georgian language learning program aligned with the undergraduate curriculum. Typically, students with high language skills often are not provided with the knowledge tailored to their competencies. In contrast, those with lower language skills do not have sufficient time or acquired knowledge to attain the desired level.
Disparities between the one-year programs to learn Georgian language at universities - The readiness of universities’ to implement this program varies, and so do its completion rates.
This article is produced under project “Increasing Public Resilience in Ethnic Minority Regions through Access to Information and Analysis,” funded by a grant from the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) with the support of the UK Government. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of IWPR or the UK Government.
