Outstanding Students from the Occupied Regions Awarded Scholarships

The most successful students from the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), currently occupied by Russia, were awarded the Dimitri Gulia and Kosta Khetagurov scholarships on February, 21. The students of GTU (Technical University of Georgia) and CIU (Caucasus International University) Giorgi Tsikolia and Robizon Iluridze won the financial prize this year.

The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Education of Georgia and the State Minister of Reconciliation in order to award those students from the occupied territories of Georgia who, despite a number of challenges, obtained the highest grades in the Unified National Examinations.

The financial prize is worth 300 GEL per academic month for each student.

The State Minister of Reconciliation, Ketevan Tsikhelasvhili, stated that the program will help to underline the importance of Abkhazian and Ossetian cultures and their preservation. She also accentuated the significance of appropriate education in general, and particularly for the residents of the occupied regions of the country.

“We see education as a very important issue, especially when it comes to assisting the young people from occupied territories, and this is the most proper response to the violent policy now underway,’’ said Tsikhelashvili.

The Minister also noted a new peaceful initiative ‘Step to a Better Future’, which mostly aims to enable the students to acquire a high-quality education.

One of the beneficiaries, Robizon Iluridze, said the prize will serve as the motivator for him to continue working towards success in future.

Dimitri Gulia was an Abkhaz writer, the founder of the Abkhazian literature and member of the Soviet government. Kosta Khetagurov was a significant figure of Ossetian literature, as well as a poet and artist.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya

Image source: Ministry of Reconciliation