The Georgian Parliament supported restrictive amendments to two laws.

The Georgian Parliament has expeditiously passed amendments to the Law on Higher Education and a package of amendments restricting foreign funding in the first reading. The adoption of the amendments occurred amid public and student protests.

As reported by Kavkazsky Knot, on January 31, 2026, a march took place in Tbilisi against the merger of two major universities, which was announced as part of education reform. Participants came to the Georgian Parliament, where they have been protesting government policies and demanding the release of detained activists for 430 consecutive days.

The Georgian Parliament today supported amendments to the Law on Higher Education in the first reading with 82 votes in favor and nine votes against. The issue was put to a vote by Deputy Minister of Education, Science, and Youth Zviad Gabisonia, according to Pirveli TV.

The amendments call for a reduction in the length of schooling from 12 to 11 years. School textbooks will be replaced in the next two to three years, and all schools will be required to use a single textbook developed by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education also plans to ban the use of mobile phones during school hours.

The changes to university education include a three-year undergraduate program, while master's programs will last up to one year. This change will affect all programs, "with the exception of exceptional specialties."

According to Zviad Gabisonia, in accordance with the new legislative changes, student quotas at public universities "will be determined by the Georgian government and will be based on labor market needs."

Today, TSU Rector Jaba Samushia met with officials from the Georgian Ministry of Education to discuss the merger of the two universities. Samushia told reporters that important questions were raised with the Deputy Minister at the meeting, but he did not discuss other details.

"There were pressing issues, and the issue of merging the two universities was raised. I would divide this meeting into two parts, and we agreed that the meeting would continue with a second part. These were questions regarding technical aspects, while the second part concerned political questions, which the minister would answer. We decided that representatives of the two universities would meet with Education Minister Givi Mikanadze on Friday," Samushia said.

"I want to clearly state that this topic is quite pressing, important for both universities, and I believe that the dialogue must continue," he added.

Today, the Georgian Parliament also adopted in the first reading a package of restrictions to the Law on Grants, which stipulates that almost all foreign funding will be considered a grant. Grants will be available only with prior government approval. According to this amendment, an organization registered abroad that "essentially operates in Georgia" will also be required to apply to the Georgian government for permission to transfer funds to the country, otherwise it will be subject to criminal liability.

A protest rally under the slogan "Ivanishvili's Law Against Georgia" was held in front of the legislative building in parallel with the parliament session, Interpressnews reported.

The rally participants spoke out against the Georgian Dream legislative amendment package, which provides for the adoption of new restrictive laws regarding party and political activity, as well as planned amendments to the laws "On General Education" and "On Higher Education".

As one of the participants in the rally regarding the planned amendments to the "Law on Grants" stated, the authorities are trying to completely suppress public opinion.

"This law probably grants the state the most discretionary right, according to which "Any citizen who has a relative abroad and sends them money becomes a victim of state persecution. Any income, including personal income, will become a pretext for the state to conduct political persecution," noted protester Data Kashiashvili.