| Postgraduate Degrees and the Government |
|
07/06/2010 15:25 (709 Day 05:46 minutes ago) | |||||
|
The FINANCIAL -- Nikoloz Rurua, the Minister of Culture, Monuments Protection and Sports of Georgia turned out to be the only Minister with a Doctor’s Degree out of the Cabinet of Georgian Ministers. The research by The FINANCIAL based on the educational background the ministers possess, indicates that a master or postgraduate degree is not always considerable and determining when promoting Governmental positions in Georgia.
In the Cabinet of Ministers, out of the 19 ministers, including the PM, 10 have finished their bachelor studies in Tbilisi State University, five have completed their bachelor studies in a Technical University, only two ministers have graduated from foreign universities with a bachelor degree, one minister from Rustaveli State Cinema and Theatre University and one from the Holy Seminar of Tbilisi .
Nikoloz Gilauri, the Prime Minister, graduated from Tbilisi State University, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in International Economics. He pursued education at the University of Limerick, Ireland where he studied Economics and Finances and gained a Master’s Degree in International Business Management from Temple University, Philadelphia, USA in 1999.
Gilauri worked at the post of Minister of Energy, Minister of Finance, Since February 2009, Gilauri currently holds the position of Prime Minister of Georgia.
Rurua graduated from Rustaveli State Cinema and Theatre University, the Faculty of Film Direction in the year 1993, continuing his studies in the USA. He graduated from the State University of Georgia, USA with a scientific degree - Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1999.
Rurua worked as assistant judge in the Atlanta Appeals Court in 2002. Before being appointed a minister in December 2008 he was Member of Parliament of Georgia, Deputy Chairman of the Defence and Security Committee.
A Master’s Degree is possessed by only 13 ministers out of 19. The majority of ministers who hold a Master’s Degree graduated from foreign universities in the USA, followed by Germany, the Netherlands and Russia.
Moreover, four of the ministers were involved in their Master’s studies in Georgia, two in Tbilisi State University and the other two at the Technical University. Only five ministers had engaged in courses and programmes in foreign countries according to their CVs.
“For minister it is necessary to hold a Master’s Degree as they will have more knowledge, will be more educated and can contribute more, considering present trends,” said Kakha Shengelia, President of Caucasus University.
“After finishing a Bachelor, which is 4 years of study, you already possess base education after which you can apply for a Master’s programme to deepen your knowledge.”
“If a minister has graduated from university with a Master’s Degree, this will have a positive influence on his activities, raises his education quality and he/she will be one of the more competitive ministers,” said Shengelia.
Shengelia believes that it is not necessary to complete a Master’s Degree in a foreign country, as any willing individual can attend Master’s programmes and get a higher education in Georgia as well.
Almost all ministers are male except one - Khatuna Kalmakhelidze - who is Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia. She is one of two ministers who have finished their Bachelor and Master’s courses in a foreign country.
Kalmakhelidze graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor Degree in Political Science, an Economic Minor in 2005. The same year she was enrolled in Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. In two years she finished her studies and became Master of Arts in International Affairs, International Security Major.
In December 2009, she was appointed Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia, before which she worked as Deputy Political Director at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia for 2008-2009 years.
Grigol Vashadze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia since December 2008 received his Bachelor and Master’s education in Russia. He graduated from MOSCOW State Institute of International Relations, faculty of international law in 1981 and in 1988-1990 he was post-graduate student at Soviet Diplomatic Academy.
Before appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, he held the position of Minister of Culture, Monuments Protection and Sports of Georgia.
He worked at the Georgian Technical University and Agricultural University as assistant professor, senior assistant professor, assistant, and junior researcher In 1992-1995. He served as Minister of State security before appointed as Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia in 2004.
Aleksandre Kvitashvili, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affair, since 2008 January, has a degree of Master of Public Studies from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Management of the New-York University, received in the year 1993.
He worked in New-York at the East/West Institute on the positions of administrative director, senior director and acted as a consultant to the Institute of Transatlantic Partnership for Combating AIDS before appointed as minister.
Davit Tkeshelashvili who is Minister for Infrastructural and Regional Development graduated from Emory University with a degree of Master of Law (LLM) in 2006. He was appointed a minister in February 2009 working as Minister of Health, Labour and Social Welfare, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, and as State Minister of the Regional issues during his career path before appointed the post of Minister for Infrastructural and Regional Development.
Mirza Davitaia, who graduated from Number Art Academy, is a painter by profession. Before appointed as State Minister for Diasporas in 2009, he worked in Berlin as animator Cartoon-Film, artist-director at Penta-TV, Hamburg, as Director and Artist-designer at Intermedien (Nuremberg) and at Publicis MCD.
Aleksandre Khetaguri, Minister of Energy, possesses two Master’s degrees, one with the profile of Accounting and Audit, having graduated in 2000 from Tbilisi Business and Marketing Institute, and the second - Energy Management, having graduated from the Technical University of Georgia in 2002.
In his career past he was Director General of the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation and Deputy Minister of Energy of Georgia. In 2007 he was appointed Minister of Energy of Georgia.
The youngest of the ministers is the Minister of Agriculture Bakur Kvezereli, who received his Master’s Degree in Bank Affairs from the Georgian Technical University in 2005.
Before being appointed minister in 2008 he served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture from 2006.
From February to June 1995 he studied at the College of Strategic Studies and Defence Economics of the George Marshall European Centre for Security Studies in Germany. Baramidze was a research fellow at the Georgetown School of International Service in the USA In 1998-99.
Baramidze was Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Defence before becoming State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration in 2004.
Dimitri Shashkin, Minister of Education and Science, has a Master’s Degree in government, tax and criminal law from Tbilisi State University.
He was Minister of Corrections and Legal Assistance before being appointed to his current position.
|
|
|
