The Changing Faces of Corruption in Georgian Higher Education: Access through Times and Tests

Overview & Synopsis

This article presents a comparative-historical analysis of access to higher education in Georgia. It describes the workings of corrupt channels during the Soviet and early post-Soviet periods and the role of standardized tests in fighting corruption in higher education admission processes after introduction of the Unified National Entrance Examination (UNEE) in 2005. The discussion traces the development of higher education access policies, specifically standardized testing, with attention to the quality of their implementation, the degree of their transparency, and how they have impacted the level and forms of corruption. I likewise consider the social equitability of entrance examinations throughout the decades. In concluding, I argue that the introduction of the UNEE spurred more equitable access to higher education, increased the quality of secondary school instruction, and furthered the alignment of secondary education with higher education entrance requirements. (Contains 1 table.)