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Comparative & International Higher 1 (2009) 15 Democrazy? through in the of Georgia

Stephanie K. Kima,*

aUniversity of California, Los Angeles, USA

Since 2009 I have been involved in coordinating reasons to support education decentralization. Some- much of the efforts in the USAID Georgia Education times it is a matter of increasing efficiency in manage- Management (GEM) Project. The project aims to build ment and governance. Where the governing long-term institutional capacity to better manage the seems slow and burdensome, decentralization can allow education system, and increase effectiveness of educa- a faster identification of problems and solutions. Decen- tion on decentralization, finance, and accredita- tralization also helps increase accountability and deli- tion in the Republic of Georgia. Specifically, my role on neate responsibility among different . In the project is to coordinate a team of academic special- some cases, decentralization allows for mobilization of ists in order to establish an mas- resources at the local level through special taxes and ters program at Ilia State based upon a community participation. Decentralization is also some- Western model of decentralized education management times the natural evolution of political democratization: and governance. The broader goal of the project is to citizens want to be involved in the decision-making promote a more democratic environment within the processes that directly concern them. university and the Georgian education system at large In the Republic of Georgia, drastic education re- through a liberal education curriculum. Future graduates forms have been implemented that would make Milton of the masters program will assume leadership roles in Friedman proud. One reform is the implementation of a schools and other education authorities and will bring to national examination system. The national examination their positions the influences of a Western education requires that all university-bound students must achieve that will change the direction of Georgian education a certain score as a prerequisite to attend university in . Georgia. As students aim for entry into graduate pro- Decentralization is one of the most important phe- grams, they take another examination that determines nomena to come to educational planning in the last their eligibility for programs of their choice. When I several decades. Decision-makers raise questions as to began working on the GEM Project in the fall of 2009, why a country should decentralize its education system. approximately six thousand Georgian students took the Such an inquiry asks fundamental questions on who national examination for entry into graduate programs. should control education and what level of government The highest-scoring two thousand students were guar- involvement and market efficiency should influence anteed admission into the programs of their choice. these controls. Under a current wave of neoliberalism, Additionally, the highest-scoring one thousand students developing countries are under pressure to reduce pub- received scholarships. The other one thousand students lic spending and increase efficiency in the use of re- could also receive scholarships if they enroll into less sources, and education decentralization has become a popular graduate programs (education being one of reality in many of these places. Indeed, there are many them). This new system reduces opportunity for corrup- ______tion in schools, especially in a country where it is not *Corresponding author: Email: [email protected]; Ad- uncommon to find teachers who accept bribes in ex- dress: Center for International Development Education, change for high grades and other forms of student ad- University of California, Los Angles, Box 951521, Moore Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. vancement. In effect, the national examination system

16 Comparative & International Higher Education 3 (2011) creates a fair playing field for Georgian students based tor as a tool for political mobilization. We can see this on their individual merit and not on their ability to make even in recent current events: in 2010 Georgia also illegitimate payments. Additionally, another reform changed its national secondary language from Russian measure was introduced with the implementation of a to English (while maintaining Georgian as its national system at the K-12 level. The Georgian primary language). On one level this can be viewed as a government issues vouchers to each student, who can way to better engage Georgians in the US-dominated then apply to attend the public school of his or her global community; on another level it is a passive- choice using the vouchers. Each school receives appro- aggressive snub at the Russian imperialists. priate funding based upon its student population. This The United States has become a key player in estab- would mean that students attend the schools of their lishing a new democracy in the Republic of Georgia, choice through a systematized application process. In and the education sector has become a way to advance theory, the best schools will attract the most students US influence. Some scholars have called such at- and receive the greatest level of funding, creating a kind tempted reforms as cultural imperialism, where educa- of meritocratic award system not just for students but tion reform is an American counteraction against recent for schools as well. These reforms follow the inaugura- Russian encroachment into Georgia through subversive tion of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2003 means. In turn, Georgia has mutually looked to the and are part of the Saakashvili anti-corruption cam- United States to help deflect Russian advancements. paign. The mission to decentralize the Georgian educa- While a realist may interpret this as a small state seek- tion system follows the new administration’s spirit of ing refuge from a powerful neighbor by siding with the liberal reforms that move away from leftover Soviet opposing superpower for lack of a better alternative, influences of centralized authority and rampant corrup- regardless Georgia welcomes an American influence. tion and move towards a system of greater local partici- Against an increasingly aggressive Russian agenda, the pation and better accountability. The GEM Project United States has a vested security interest to promote a certainly chose a most fitting site to pursue this mission: democratic culture in Georgia to offset potentially in- Ilia State University refers to itself as “the only higher creasing Russian imperialism. Investing in Georgia’s education institution in Georgia employing principles of education sector is a way to influence Georgian social liberal education” and is named after the Georgian writ- thought and culture to be further sided with that of the er Ilia Chavchavadze who spearheaded the Georgian United States. From an ideological perspective, advanc- national movement and awakened Georgia national ing democracy in Georgia is not without its intrinsic ideals during nineteenth century Russian rule over merits. Democracy provides a more accountable gov- Georgia. ernment, better security, and greater economic prosperi- Yet Georgia’s reform process can arguably be ty compared to other forms of government. From a called a form of shock-therapy democracy, where dem- pragmatic standpoint, cultural imperialism is not neces- ocratic principles are suddenly put into practice in a sarily an insidious state act if it creates beneficial results region without a strong democratic history and tradi- for both the state and its “conquest.” Georgian educa- tion. Following Georgian independence in 1991, the tion reforms are both warranted advancements on the Georgian political sphere has witnessed violent coups part of the United States and voluntary domestic execu- and bloody wars, particularly over the contested regions tions on the part of Georgia. While they are dramatic in of South Ossetia and Abkhazia where an ongoing crisis implementation, the attempt to reduce corruption and between Russia and Georgia erupted in the 2008 South create a more meritocratic education system is nonethe- Ossetia War and continues today. The Georgian gov- less refreshing. The 2003 Rose Revolution of the blood- ernment has displayed a strong desire to free itself of less transition of power from Shevardnadze to Russian influence, and it will use whatever soft means it Saakashvili perhaps signaled the beginning of a larger can in order to do so, including using its education sec- transition, one that suddenly transformed a demoralized

Comparative & International Higher Education 3 (2011) 17 society into an energetic and experimental democracy. It is certainly encouraging that a society can summon the courage and wherewithal to transform itself into something more than it is, and such ambitious education reforms cannot be dismissed simply because of their drastic nature or tacit political agenda. Instead, one must examine why the Georgians desire the reforms and how the reforms can be achieved effectively. Context matters.