Georgian authorities plan to merge Georgian Technical University with Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, combining two of the capital’s major and historic public higher education institutions as part of broader and controversial reforms to the education system. Tbilisi State University (TSU), founded in 1918, is one of Georgia’s leading public higher education institutions, enrolling around 22,000 students across seven faculties. Georgian Technical University (GTU), established in 1922, comprises 11 faculties and serves approximately 20,000 students. The move to merge two universities comes as part of a controversial higher education reform that foresees radical measures to amend Georgia’s public university system. During the briefing, Mikanadze brushed off fears that the process would lead to personnel purges and lower enrollment quotas in public universities.