Study Abroad Conference – An Important Platform Avail Georgians With Information on International Study Opportunities

In many countries around the world, and in Georgia, getting education abroad is considered to be an important life achievement. In recent times, the opportunities and available information for Georgian students to study abroad are increasing on a daily basis. This wasn’t the case some years back, but nowadays, the prospects of international education look promising for Georgians. Despite this positive outlook, getting international education remains an unfulfilled dream for many Georgian students. In order to provide information about scholarship opportunities in an organized and official manner, the international Non-Governmental Organization “World Union of Georgian Students” (WUGS) held an all-encompassing event tagged “Study Abroad Conference - Everything about Scholarships” on September 27. The event was attended by over 500 students from across Georgia. The event took place virtually, as well as in the TBC Concept space right in Tbilisi.

The Conference’s opening remarks were delivered by the deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Nunu Mitskevich. She stressed the importance of Georgian students’ interest in international education and noted that investing in education is always a rational decision for the country. “The conference organized by the “World Union of Georgian Students” is an important support for students and future students who want to study abroad. The former event became more special with the high involvement of international and local organizations of the Georgian accredited diplomatic corps in it. Moreover, it is pleasant that the organizers of such great events are the students themselves,” The Deputy Minister remarked.

After the Deputy Minister’s speech, the European panel was opened by Catalin Gherman, deputy Head of Cooperation at European Union’s Delegation to Georgia. Gherman’s speech ushered in a panel of representatives from European countries. These representatives offered a vast variety of scholarship opportunities to Georgian students, including official scholarship programs of The United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, The Czech Republic, and Poland at the event. The information was presented to the audience directly by the official representatives of the various embassies. In the end, the conference participants were provided with comprehensive information on Chevening, Fulbright, DAAD, Erasmus+ programs and the ways to obtain these scholarships. Several scholars invited to the Asia Panel also shared their personal experiences with Georgian students and offered their own advice on specific scholarships.

Each speaker at the event noted the high interest and enthusiasm of Georgian students in continuing their studies abroad. The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Hubert Knirsch, predominantly emphasized this fact: “We are happy that Germany is one of the favourite places for young Georgians to study and complete their education. Many of them make use of DAAD scholarships. At the conference, I encouraged participants to consider the directions of engineering and IT, which are much needed for the future development of Georgia. I was happy to share my own experience that studying abroad is of great benefit for both personal and professional development.”

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic, Mr. Petr Mikyska, spoke about the vital importance of continuing studies abroad – “It was my pleasure to get the opportunity to present at the Conference a great variety of university studies in the Czech Republic, but also to motivate young interested students to take up this chance to study abroad. In my personal view, studying in a foreign country enriches tremendously personal experience and broadens the perspective for future professional career. I am proud to state that my country provides high quality third-degree studies both in Czech and English languages that are also easily accessible, thanks to government and other scholarships, for devoted Georgian students every year. The Czech Embassy in Tbilisi will be happy to provide more information for those who are seriously interested.”

The Deputy Ambassador of Italy to Georgia, Mr. Nicola Iorio also attended The Study Abroad Conference. He briefed the audience on the Italian education system with its centuries-old history, that featured the ancient University of Bologna. University of Bologna was founded in 1088 in Italy, and that was where the Bologna Declaration was signed by 29 European states which also formed the origin of the Bologna Process. Today it possesses the most advanced, innovative education system in Europe. Mr. Iorio stated – “It was indeed my pleasure to participate in the “Study Abroad Conference”, organized by the “World Union of Georgian Students” among others, such as the Ministry of Education of Georgia. On such occasion, I presented the strengths of the Italian university system, which hosts the oldest historically attested University in the world, Bologna’s Alma Mater Studiorum (since 1088) and offers today numerous, fantastic opportunities for Italian and foreign students, in so many fields. I also took a chance to share some insights about my personal experience. Without studying abroad experience which I had in 2012-2013, I would probably not have been able to participate in the national diplomatic competition organized annually by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and not even have been able to participate in the “Study Abroad Conference” itself, which I regarded as a valuable occasion to address the Georgian young public about opportunities related to study in Italy.”

The process of the event itself was fully interactive and the participants’ questions about the various scholarship programs were answered comprehensively. The active participants were given 100 GEL vouchers by the conference sponsors “Miniso Georgia” and vouchers for fully funded English language courses by “Oxford Academy” and “Trinity Consulting”. The conference was held with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and TBC Bank. The complete visual and graphic decoration of the event was taken care of by the marketing company “DOTS”.

The World Union of Georgian Students (WUGS) was officially registered in Brussels in 2013. WUGS is the first Georgian international Non-Governmental Organization, that has been actively promoting the development of Georgian students and creating new opportunities for them ever since. Providing counseling for those wishing to study abroad is one of the directions of the organization and with this purpose, it hosts a number of conferences, workshops and meetings every year.