The President of Georgia visited the rehabilitated Agrarian University today. The Head of State toured the labs equipped with the latest modern technology and expressed interest in the learning process. Mikheil Saakashvili spoke to students about the importance of Agrarian education. According to his statement, development of the agricultural sphere is positively correlated to educating specialists.
The President of Georgia familiarized students with two new initiatives. One is about student discount cards, which will help them to receive discounts while travelling on municipal and railway transports and the other one is about the student employment project, which will continue in winter. The students will be able to get discount cards starting on May 20th.
“The youth will soon be able to use Georgian student cards. This means that they may have a 15-20 % discount on Georgian Railway. They may have up to a 40% discount on municipal transport. It is possible to negotiate with big supermarkets in order to have discounts for students. We have to give privileges to students with this card and make their living less expensive. Let’s work to integrate these cards into an international system so that the students have a chance to get discounts on international flights. Today, students have more financial problems and they need our help the most. The youth should think about studying and not about where they can find money for transportation tickets and food. If the state helps them with this card and makes their living inexpensive it will be a big step forward. According to this initiative, we should make these cards and distribute them within a month so that the youth has a chance to use them this summer. As of the student employment program, we will expand it even more next summer and we will see, we might even plan one program for the winter season as well” - stated Mikheil Saakashvili.
The President of Georgia also drew attention to the agricultural soil of the country and noted that our soil is distinguished by its productivity, which needs special care. All of this according to him is the business of local highly qualified specialists. He ordered the Minister of Agriculture to adopt and adjust to modern international norms and principals for this direction.
“Imagine, we have to transform the entire Kolkheti lowland into agricultural land, we have to drain it from water and use it. The soil are worked on so well towards Samegrelo that your heart lights up when you look at them. We started from Samegrelo at the beginning, but now the same thing is happening in Kartli, Kvemo Kartli, and they also started working on the land in Kakheti. Poti and Lazika are still ahead of us. 4 relatively complete cities are appearing in Georgia in terms of infrastructure. Aside from Tbilisi, there is Kutaisi, which at some point in past was turned into a village because of an infrastructural crisis, but extraordinary people live there. Batumi, which is becoming the best city and of course Poti, which must be backed by agricultural success. Otherwise it is pointless. We are also beginning the construction of Lazika which we should also develop accordingly. There is a lot of land across Georgia, which can be used not only locally but as one of the sources of export as well. “ – stated the President of Georgia and added - “Israel started with selling orange juice in the 70s and winning bread like that, and is now exporting agricultural technology. We have very talented people, our country is also distinguished by its climate; we have a relatively good location and much better soil. This is why we will be able to create innovations in this sphere.
In order to retrain qualified personnel and develop professionals, new study programs have been created and the campus and laboratories have been completely renovated. The teaching inventory has also been renewed, projectors have been installed in every auditorium and a lab; a new medical center has been organized, ultramodern lighting systems, modern exam center, and an electronic library have also been organized. A Wi-Fi system is available for students. There will also be a veterinary clinic, best in the Caucasus region, which will have such technology as digital x-ray, MRI and others. None of the clinics of Georgia have such technology. Aside from this, there will be an alcoholic beverage factory, where the students will have a chance to created wine, champagne, cognac, and vodka by themselves; brew beer and make lemonade. The university is developing special learning science based in various regions, where students will have a chance for practical learning and the scientists will have a chance to conduct testing.
“A very good university will be here and most importantly; this sphere has to be the most successful for Georgia. I am sure we have a great potential for developing technologies and exporting production. Such a country of ideal organization and productive soil is rare not only in the region but around the entire world. We were lagging because the Soviet system turned everything upside down and made us embrace a lot of things. Independence means achieving success in the agriculture, engineering, and technology sphere with everything else. We are developing military production, other technologies, including in terms of agriculture because in the end exporting technologies is what Georgia should do. We are not worse than anyone in other spheres and we should have to bring foreigners to install bolts and nuts. Bravo! The situation in this university has truly changed. We are not hiding the fact that in the past people attended this university in order to have a diploma of some kind. They needed to graduate from somewhere right? That’s why they didn’t really need agriculture or something else. The current study program is a mix of European and American study programs. Aside from this, we should bring back the Georgian professors, who are teaching abroad. We have sent 200-300 agronomists abroad. I saw that all of your students were holding the English textbooks. This means that in 2-3 years we can send hundreds of people abroad to raise qualifications, to see everything abroad, and adopt it for Georgia. For this we should first know English and then learn technologies” – noted the President of Georgia.
2500 students are currently enrolled at the Agrarian University. The student interest in agrarian and technological spheres has increased by 7 times in 2012. The university has three main directions – agro technology, engineering technology, and business administration.
4 million USD have been invested in the rehabilitation of the university and the investments are still flowing in.