Opponents of education reform joined the protest outside the Georgian parliament.

A march against education reform took place today in central Tbilisi. The procession ended at the Georgian Parliament, where participants joined the pro-European protests that have been ongoing for 423 days.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," supporters of Georgia's European integration, who gathered outside the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue on January 23 for the 422nd day in a row, called the arrests of demonstrators for being on the sidewalk an unprecedented violation of human rights.

A march called "Protect Education" took place from the Philharmonic Hall to the Georgian Parliament today. Demonstrators are demonstrating against the education reform planned by the Georgian Dream party. Professors and students are participating in the protest.

The marchers unfurled the Georgian flag. They also carried banners reading "Knowledge is power!" and "Our knowledge is not for sale!", InterPressNews reported today.

The marchers joined those gathered outside the parliament building. The demands of the demonstrators gathered outside the parliament remain unchanged: call new parliamentary elections and release those detained during the protests, according to another publication by the agency.

According to a video published by Publika, the marchers carried flags of Georgia and the European Union, as well as portraits of those arrested and convicted for participating in the protests. During the march, the protesters occupied one lane of Rustaveli Avenue.

As a reminder, the legislative amendments to reform higher education include amendments to five existing laws. One of the main changes is a new format for financing higher education. The system of grants, which were awarded to the most successful students based on their exam results to cover tuition fees at public and private universities, is being abolished. Instead, completely free education at public universities will be gradually introduced. It will be fully funded by the state. This applies only to Georgian citizens; foreigners will lose the right to enroll in public universities, but will be able to study at private universities. Presumably, everyone who enrolls in the first year of study at Georgian public universities next year will automatically be eligible for free tuition. The state will no longer provide assistance to those who enroll in private universities. However, existing student grants will not be cancelled. The government will determine quotas for the number of places at public universities for specific departments based on a labor market analysis, the "Georgia News" agency reported on December 9, 2025. For the second year, Georgia has seen daily protests demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of all those detained for participating in demonstrations. Demonstrators blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue for 343 consecutive days. Since November 6, security forces have prevented activists from blocking traffic, setting up cordons along the roadway. Protesters have been detained for attempting to enter the road. However, on the anniversary of the protests and on several other days since, protesters have marched along the roadway. Specifically, on December 6, daily protesters demanded an international investigation into the use of "kamit" to disperse demonstrators in November-December 2024. They announced weekly marches until their demand is met.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces have violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Over the course of the protests, more than 1,000 people have been subjected to administrative prosecution. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protest Participants in Georgia".