Higher Education in Transition

Abstract

This article examines higher education reforms in the Republic of Georgia, tracing changes before and after the Rose Revolution. The transformation of this higher education system is one of gradual evolution, moving from a centrally controlled and corrupt system into a more transparent and organized system through a series of reforms, including (1) legislative changes, (2) institutional reforms, as well as (3) development of information and communication technologies (ICT) associated with the Bologna process. The article analyzes factors that contributed to the successful implementation of anticorruption reforms, as well as those that continue to hinder reform implementation. Although many studies focus on post-Soviet educational reform processes, less attention is given to the role of political corruption, involvement of the republics' top leadership in the educational sector, and the overall system of rigid subordination, which limits higher education institutions' autonomy, and students' and professors' self-government. The Georgian case demonstrates that it has been possible to decrease even the most odious forms of corruption in a relatively short period of time, although deeper reforms continue to be needed.