Fighting Corruption in Georgia's Universities

Academe, Sep/Oct 2004 by Janashia, Natia

Post-Soviet universities struggle to adjust to new conditions. Despite new laws and leaders, powerful institutional and cultural legacies threaten to undermine progress.

In the Republic of Georgia, about 240 institutions of higher education serve a population of 5 million. On the surface, these numbers suggest a prosperous, highly educated society. Behind this facade, however, lies a reality of degraded standards, crumbling infrastructure, rampant academic fraud, and deteriorating educational quality.

At the center of this predicament is pervasive, systemic corruption. Economic, institutional, and organizational inadequacies have brought about an extralegal system of university governance that adheres to few ethical norms or standards. The passivity of the Georgian people and their willingness to accept the status quo have only exacerbated these deficiencies.

Corruption in academic life in Georgia occurs at all levels of the university, but it does not stop there. Widespread misconduct affects the entire higher education system. Corruption influences university examinations, the conferring of academic credentials, procurement of goods and services, and the licensing and accreditation of institutions. Instances of academic fraud have involved bribery, the establishment of diploma mills, forgery, falsification of examination results, patronage, cronyism, and professional misconduct among teachers. Students, parents, teachers, university administrators, public officials, and other professionals have all been perpetrators.

University admissions is perhaps the most corrupt area in Georgian higher education. The archaic admissions system is based mostly on oral examinations. It is unfair, inefficient, and highly subjective. Even the least-qualified candidates can easily gain entry to a university using backdoor means, such as bribery or political or personal connections and influence. Some estimates suggest that most slots at public institutions are sold outright to prospective students. Only 15 to 20 percent of the students who enter Tbilisi State University, the first university in the Caucasus, do so without paying bribes. According to anecdotal reports, the price for university admission can range anywhere from $200 to $10,000, depending on the prestige of a university department and a student's qualifications. (The average monthly salary in Georgia is $50.)

A system of private tutors who prepare students for entrance examinations advances the corruption. Unlike the fees of private tutors in Europe and North America, those paid in Georgia are, in fact, bribes to help ensure students' admission to the department of their choice. Private tutors, who often sit on examination committees, are familiar with the content of exam questions and can manipulate admissions processes to greatly improve a student's chances of gaining entry to a university. Having connections and simply "knowing the system" are equally important. Although it is still possible to enroll in a university without paying bribes, a student's chances of success are inversely related to the prestige of the department to which he or she applies.

Once admitted, students can practically buy their way through the institution, paying for every exam, each of which can cost hundreds of dollars. Or students can simply buy a diploma from an established university. Corruption sometimes involves educational materials: professors often require students to buy their books, and lack of compliance may result in failing an exam.

In many countries, universities gain public approval and recognition through accreditation. In Georgia, however, a fair system of accreditation has not accompanied the proliferation of private universities and the introduction of new programs at public institutions. The Accreditation Council, a special agency created by Georgia's parliament to develop accreditation mechanisms and complete state accreditation of universities by 2000, failed. Today, obtaining a license for a new university or approval for a new program often requires a bribe. As a result, the Ministry of Education ends up recognizing institutions and programs that do not satisfy minimum quality standards. In turn, those institutions license individuals who may not possess adequate professional qualifications.

Cause and Effect

Corruption arises partly from the dire economic situation in the country. The decline in public funding for education after the demise of the Soviet Union resulted in major changes in the governance, management, and operation of universities. These changes were not, however, always accompanied by corresponding modifications in law or regulatory systems. The responsibilities of university rectors and senior administrators are not clearly defined. And the salaries of faculty and administrators have declined so much that taking bribes has become a way to supplement meager incomes.

The government formally granted universities autonomy over academic and financial affairs. In reality, however, the centralized structure of Georgian universities prevents the development of strong academic leadership. State allocations to public universities are defined as line items in budgets, and university administrators have to comply with rigid spending criteria. Individual units and departments have little authority over funding or programmatic priorities, and faculty and administrators have few opportunities to affect institutional policies, shape academic decisions, or promote innovation and change.