On April 27-29, some field workshops were held with members of the Stipend Program Commission, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, and staff of the Center through the organization of the International Education Center. The primary goal of the preparatory meeting was to reach an agreement regarding the joint work principles, deadlines, and goals of the four stipend commissions within the framework of specific programs.
While attending a two-day seminar in Borjomi, commission members were informed of the following issues by Nino Chelidze, the acting director of the International Education Center: the general and comparative statistics of the years 2014-2018, selection criteria, parameters, dynamics, stipend competitions held in 2018, the process and outcomes, joint and exchange programs (Stipendium Hungaricum, Fulbright, French Master Programs, DAAD), and the Center’s new programs and courses: Masters, doctoral, art, and qualification enhancement programs for 2018. Commission members and leaders of the Ministry of Education and Science discussed and reached an agreement regarding the process and procedures for scoring, commission work rules, and selection criteria. The discussion also touched upon the mechanisms for assisting Center applicants and beneficiaries and for professional development - an ombudsmen group, employment, and a graduate association.
Workshop participants were informed of innovations already being implemented regarding education by Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the Minister of Education and Science. He also spoke on the importance of the internationalization of education and of academic and professional education, the multi-purpose training of instructors for mountainous regions, and the creation of new professional programs by the International Education Center in relation to these trends.