The FINANCIAL — Out of the total 18 members of Georgia’s current Cabinet of Ministers only 7 have postgraduate degrees from abroad. Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University is the leading alma-mater of Georgian ministers. Comparison of the educational backgrounds of the current administration with the previous one has shown that current ministers are better educated than those of 2010.
Research done by The FINANCIAL in 2010, based on the educational backgrounds that then-ministers possessed, indicated that a Master’s or postgraduate degree was not always a necessary or decisive factor in running for government positions in Georgia. Of Saakashvili’s Cabinet of Ministers, out of the nineteen ministers, including the PM, ten had completed Bachelor’s degrees at Tbilisi State University, five had completed Bachelor’s at a Technical University, and only two had graduated from foreign universities with Bachelor’s degrees, one minister from Rustaveli State Cinema and Theatre University and the other from the Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary.
Some experts think that having a Master’s degree is a requirement for the position of state minister; others do not consider it essential for good governance. In light of this The FINANCIAL had a look at the qualifications of those in the present government.
Georgian PM, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, studied at Tbilisi State Medical University but later changed direction and continued his studies at the Faculty of Economics in Industrial Planning. Kvirikashvili studied at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL, USA, getting a Master of Science in Finance. He knows Russian and English.
First female Defence Minister of Georgia, holding the position since May 2015, Tina Khidasheli earned a degree in international law at Tbilisi State University in 1995. In 1996 she earned a Master of Political Science at CEU. In addition, she was a human rights fellow at the Washington College of Law, and World Fellow at Yale University. She became president of the influential Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association in 2000 and was involved in the protest movements that led to the Rose Revolution and Eduard Shevardnadze’s resignation in 2003. She served as chair of the board of the Open Society Georgia Foundation in 2004 and 2005.
Prior to her appointment as Defence Minister, Khidasheli chaired the parliamentary committee on European integration. She became a Member of Parliament as a representative of the Republican Party of Georgia in 2012. Khidasheli joined the political formation led by Davit Usupashvili in 2005.
Davit Sergeenko, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, graduated from Tbilisi Medical University. He studied at the Doctors’ Training Institute in Moscow with a specialization in intensive care. He upgraded his qualifications at the Berlin Heart Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, in Aberdeen, the United Kingdom, as well as in Tbilisi.
Nodar Khaduri, the Minister of Finance of Georgia, received his education in economics both in Georgia and abroad. He attended Tbilisi State University and successfully graduated from the Faculty of Economics with a specialization in macroeconomics. He later became a postgraduate student of the Georgian Science Academy. In 2002 Khaduri defended his dissertation on the topic Specificity of Formation of Macroeconomic Politics in the Post-Soviet Transformation Period (based on the example of Georgia).
Khaduri went on to cement his qualifications in Austria at the Joint Vienna Institute (fiscal politics, macroeconomic analysis and politics), Swedish Development Agency (tax policy) and Egypt Development Agency (export stimulation). He knows English and Russian. Khaduri is the author of more than 100 scientific works published in the USA, Hungry, Bulgaria, Sweden, Russia and Azerbaijan.
He was an assistant of the Minister of Economics in 1996-1997 and Deputy Minister of Finance in 2003-2004. As well as these posts he worked at different positions, and was a full professor at Tbilisi State University.
The newest member of the Cabinet, Alexandre Jejelava, serves as the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia. In 1995 Jejelava received a Diploma of Honour from Tbilisi State University, MS, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science. He holds an MBA from ESM-Tbilisi (2003-2005). Jejelava also accepted a diploma of Master of Project Management, from George Washington University in 2009-2010.
The working experience of Jejelava incorporates over 20 companies and education institutions.
Minister of Justice of Georgia, Thea Tsulukiani graduated from the Collège-lycée Ampère in Lyon, France, with an undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in 1992. That year she entered Tbilisi State University, faculty of International Law and International Relations, which she successfully graduated from in 1997. At the same time, she studied at the Academy of Diplomacy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which she graduated from in 1998.
In 1998, she successfully passed the competitive examination for the National School of Administration – École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). During her studies at ENA, she worked for the Cabinet of Prefect of the Department of Sarthe (Western France) on issues with regard to defence and public order in problematic areas of the city, and those of coordination of the activities of government bodies at local level.
Mikheil Janelidze was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in December 2015. Janelidze earned his Bachelor’s degree with honours in International Relations from Tbilisi State University in 2002. Later, in 2003-2006, he continued his postgraduate studies in International Law and European Law at the Diplomatic Academy in the Russian Federation. In 2011, Janelidze earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration with Distinction from the Grenoble Graduate School of Business in France and the International Executive MBA from CSB in Georgia. Prior to that, in 1996-1997, Janelidze studied at the Hochwald Gymnasium in Wadern, Germany.
In 2011 Mikheil Janelidze was awarded the Order of Honour for his outstanding contribution to the development of foreign trade and international economic relations of Georgia.
Besides his native Georgian, Minister Janelidze speaks English, German and Russian languages.
Janelidze served as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia from September 2015 until his appointment as Minister. In this capacity, he had a portfolio of Georgia’s relations with the United States and Canada as well as economic diplomacy.
Prior to moving to the Georgian Foreign Service, Janelidze enjoyed an extensive career at the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia in the period of 2009-2015, initially as Director of the Foreign Trade and International Economic Affairs Department, and, since 2011, as Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development. Throughout these years he also served as Georgia’s Chief Trade Negotiator with the EU and Chairman of Intergovernmental Economic Commissions with various countries. Before joining public service and taking up the government job, Janelidze worked for the private sector as a manager and an entrepreneur in the area of business development and management consulting mostly focused on international trade and investment.
Paata Zakareishvili, State Minister of Georgia for Reintegration, graduated from Kazan State University. He later graduated from Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary.
Dimitry Kumsishvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia since September 2015, Vice-PM, is a graduate of the MBA programme from Georgian Cerma School of Management. From 1992-1998 he studied at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Economics; specialty: accounting, control and audit.
Before being appointed Minister, Kumsishvili served as Vice Mayor of Tbilisi for less than five months. From 2012 to 2015 he was first Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; Chairman of the National Agency of State Property LEPL. The professional career of Kumsishvili is also linked to Cartu Bank.
Giorgi Mghebrishvili, Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia since August 2015, is a graduate of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Law; specialty: Law; from 1990-1996. The Minister speaks Russian and English.
After graduation Mghebrishvili was an intern at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in their investigation department. From 1998 till 2004 his occupancy was investigator at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During 2004-2007 he was investigator of the finance police at the Ministry of Finance. From 2007 till 2013 he worked at LEPL Revenue Service, Ministry of Finance, at various positions. Mghebrishvili served as a governor, Lower Kartli state plenipotentiary representative, for less than a year, during 2013-2014. Before being appointed Minister of Internal Affairs he served as Minister of Corrections and Probation of Georgia, for over 13 months.
Born in Sighnaghi in 1954, Nodar Javakhishvili, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, studied at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University from 1972-1977. He holds a Diploma from the Department of Economics, with a Specialty of Finance and Credits.
Since 1997, for over 16 years Javakhishvili’s professional experience has been related to the banking sector. Javakhishvili worked for Sakhbank and Sakrespbank at different positions. From 1993-1998 he was President of National Bank of Georgia. From 1999-2004 Javakhishvili was MP, Deputy Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, Chairman. During 2011-2014 the Minister was General Director of Cartu Bank, owned by Georgian billionaire and former PM, Bidzina Ivanishvili. In December 2014 Javakhishvili was appointed Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia. Javakhishvili is proficient in Russian and English.
Gigla Agulshvili, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia, is a graduate of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. From 1983-1990 he studied for Specialization in Law. Before being appointed Minister he was a Member of Parliament of Georgia, member of the faction “The Georgian Dream – Republicans”, Chairman of the Agrarian Issues Committee. After graduation the Minister worked as an investigator and also a prosecutor.
Mikheil Giorgadze, the Minister of Culture and Monument Protection, received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Tbilisi State University, where he studied from 1984-1991. In 1991 he attended the European Management Program, in Brussels, Belgium. However, the official biography of the Ministry does not provide any information on whether the Minister managed to complete his studies and which degree he was undertaking. After graduation, in 1992-1993 Giorgadze worked as State Advisor, Department of Economics, in the Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia.
From 2005 till 2014 Giorgadze served as a member of the board of directors of Tbilisi Concert Hall. For two years (2003-2005) he was a Producer in Chief of the Public Broadcaster of Georgia. In 2001 Giorgadze was a consultant to the BPR production programme “Art Management” (London, Great Britain). From 1998 till 2014 the Minister was a General Manager of Eastern Promotion LLC.
Tariel Khechikashvili, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Khechikashvili is a qualified lawyer, holding a degree from Civil Institute Kabadoni. Previously he was President of Iberia Business Group – one of the largest automobile holdings in Georgia. A great part of Khechikashvili’s biography is linked to sport. He was a sponsor and supporter of various sports events and awards.
Minister of Agriculture, Otar Danelia, holds a Bachelor’s Diploma of Law from TSU. Later, in 2008-2010 he graduated from the European School of Management of Tbilisi (ESM) course of Business Administration in Information Technologies. Danelia is also a specialist of International Relations and Diplomacy, from the Diplomatic Academy of Georgia (1996-2000). Danelia also cemented his education skills by attending various courses during 2002-2005 UNLB/Centre of Excellence, Italy: Management of Information; Crisis Management; Uninterrupted Business; Project Management and Financial Management.
Kakha Kaladze, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, graduated from the Faculty of History at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Kaladze was awarded the Vakhtang Gorgasali’s Order II Rank. He knows English, Italian and Russian.
Gela Dumbadze, State Minister for Diaspora Issues, graduated from Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Philology in 1989. During 1999-2001 he studied at the Diplomatic Academy of Georgia.
David Bakradze, State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, is a graduate of Tbilisi State University: International Economic Relations and International Law.
Sozar Subari, Georgia’s Minister for IDPs, Accommodation and Refugees, studied at Tbilisi State University’s Faculty of History, with a major specialisation in Ethnography. He later studied at Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary, Faculty of Theology. He was Ombudsmen of Georgia for 5 years (2004-2009). Subari has extensive experience in teaching.
“For ministers it is important to have a Master’s degree as it ensures they have greater knowledge, are more educated and can therefore contribute more, considering the present trends,” said Kakha Shengelia, President of Caucasus University. “After finishing a Bachelor’s degree, which is four years of study, you already possess a basic level of university education after which you can apply for a Master’s programme to further build your education.”
Akaki Tavadze, Professor at Free University, thinks the opposite. “A minister, as a manager of the highest rank, should have the ability to view things conceptually. Therefore having a Master’s degree is of lesser import. One should be able to form the most effective future planning and strategic goals, coordinate subdivisions and have good communication skills. A minister must be able to solve conflicts as well as be responsible for an entire staff force. In view of that, having a Master’s degree is not always necessary for a government minister.
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