Javakheti students in Armenia - a source of bribery?
A considerable part of university entrants in Georgia's Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti prefer to continue their education in Tbilisi.
Only five out of the 28 graduates in one of Akhalkalak's schools will continue their studies in Yerevan. Another 13 graduates have applied to higher educational establishments in Tbilisi.
Talking to A1+, Georgian citizen Lida Ayvazyan said that education in Tbilisi is not only available but also promising.
"To work in Georgia you need to have a diploma of a local university. Moreover, it will help you in your future career," she said, adding that children learning in Armenian universities encounter a major problem as they are viewed as "a source of bribe" by professors.
In addition, Mrs. Ayvazyan noted that in Yerevan an apartment can be rented at 70 000 drams while in Tbilisi rented apartments cost 150 laris (about 30 000 drams), let alone the money spent on food and clothes.
Even drivers noted that the number of Georgian students has decreased in Armenia in recent years.
"If things continue the way they are, I shall probably change the route and transport students from Akhalkalak to Tbilisi," said Jora Ghazaryan, who has been transporting students from Akhalkalak to Yerevan for eleven years.
We could not obtain any official information as to how many Armenian students have applied to Georgian universities. Armine Kuroyan, Secretary of "Educational Resource" Centre of Akhalkalak region, said their number reaches 97.
"The number of Armenian students in Georgia has undoubtedly increased as Georgia offers a number of privileges to them. For example, they organize free course of the Georgian language for Armenian students," she said.
Amalya Kocharyan, a senior official at the RA Ministry of Diaspora, assured us that the number of Javakheti Armenians studying in Armenian universities has not changed: 281 Georgian citizens studied in Armenia in 2009, their number was 280 in 2010 and 218 in 2011.
