“There is a programme named the Gates of Knowledge enabling our talented young people to improve their qualification and study in leading foreign universities with the aid of the state.”
On 11 December the Minister of Finance of Georgia, Nodar Khaduri, stated in the Parliament: “There is a programme named the Gates of Knowledge enabling our talented young people to improve their qualification and study in leading foreign universities with the aid of the state.”
FactCheckgot interested in the accuracy of the statement.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia has been implementing a scholarship programme, Gates of Knowledge, since 2010.
Until 2013, students selected through an open contest were financed only for Master’s level study. For the first time this year, the contest was announced for Bachelor’s and Doctoral levels as well. It is noteworthy that the universities for which Georgian students will receive funding are among the top 200 leading universities of the world while the colleges are in the top 100 of the ranking list.
This year, the educational programmes in arts and creative work, with no awarding of any academic degree, are also being funded for the first time. The Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia gathered a special committee that will collaborate with the Ministry of Education and Science to provide funding for a selected candidate.
According to Resolution No. 40, dated 21 February 2013, the Gates of Knowledge supports:
a) Preparing highly-qualified human resources necessary for the economic and social development of the country.
b) Georgian citizens having Neutral Identification Cards or Neutral Travel Documents to study at foreign educational institutions.
c) Foreign citizens to apply for Bachelor’s, Master’s, pre-diploma medical doctor/dentistry and Doctoral accredited academic programmes of various Georgian higher educational institutions based upon an application submitted to the Special Contest Committee of the Executive Government of Georgia or relevant international agreements.
Within the framework of the Gates of Knowledge programme, the funding provided to the selected candidates completely or partially covers tuition fees and travel and living costs as well as the expenses connected with the internship envisioned as a part of the academic programme.
The candidates will be selected by the Special Contest Committee.
Applications for the abovementioned contest should be submitted from 2 December 2013 to 28 February 2014. The candidates for the contest should satisfy certain criteria enlisted on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.
The applications are accepted in the following directions:
- Master’s or Doctoral (PhD) programme
- Educational programme for talented and distinguished people with high academic performance
- Educational programme in the Arts covering undergraduate and graduate levels
Applicants satisfying the following criteria are eligible to apply for all three abovementioned programmes:
- Be a citizen of Georgia holding a neutral ID document or a neutral travel document
- Have a high academic performance record
- Be a winner of various international and national educational events and competitions (except graduate programmes)
- Be admitted to one of the priority foreign higher educational institutions - a university or a college (not necessary for the applicants of the Educational Programme in Arts)
- Age limit: up to 35 (for applicants of Master’s level)
In the case of the Educational Programme in Arts, preference will be given to the applicants:
- With high participation in creative and artistic activities
- Winners of various international and national artistic events and competitions
- Admitted to one of the priority higher educational institutions approved by the commission working on the issues of awarding scholarships to talented and distinguished students and young specialists working in the fields of art at the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection
The contest is conducted in two stages: application submission and interview.
The winners are selected by the Special Contest Committee assembled by the resolution of the Georgian Government.
In 2013, the following number of students were financed within all three educational programmes: 29 students at the Bachelor’s level, 45 at the Master’s level, three at the PhD level and four for the Educational Programme in Arts.
Conclusion
The Ministry of Education and Science is in fact implementing the Gates of Knowledge programme with candidates of all three educational levels (Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD) as well as those of the arts and creative work able to participate in the programme. Applicants should meet certain criteria and submit a set of supporting documents in advance of the approved deadline in order to participate in the contest. After the successful selection of candidates and the interview, those successful will receive funding.
We conclude that Nodar Khaduri’s statement: “There is a programme named the Gates of Knowledge enabling our talented young people to improve their qualification and study in leading foreign universities with the aid of the state,” is TRUE.
