On November 2, AUF and YSG (Young Socialist Georgia) had meetings with students in three different universities. Torkel Nybakk Kvaal and Mari Helén Varøy from AUF held presentations about higher education and student democracy in Norway.

We visited Tbilisi state university, Tbilisi technical university and Chavcharvadze university, all public universities. In all three meetings the auditoriums were full of students wanting to learn more about the situation for students in Norway and about the YSG. The participants had many questions and there was a good discussion.

The YSG has student groups in Tbilisi state university and at the Chavcharvadze university. For the meeting at the Technical university more than 30 people were attending, and the YSG are starting up a student group at this university also.

For us Norwegians, it was very interesting to learn more about the higher education situation in Georgia. As in Norway there are more female students then men. The students in Georgia are from the age 17-23, most of the students take a four year bachelor and many also take a master degree. There is not the same amount of student welfare as in Norway, and they do not have anything like the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund for students or welfare assosiations. It is traditional in Georgia to live at home with your parents until you get married.

There is an active discussion on the future of higher education in Europe, but the student democracies in many universities are dominated by the governing party and there is no national organisation.

The AUF delegation in Georgia consists of Adrian Nøttestad from the central board, Mari Helén Varøy also from the central board, Ida Spjelkavik and Torkel Nybakk Kvaal from the central office in AUF.