The Strategic Skills Economy: A Synthesis-Based Reconfiguration of Georgia’s Education System — Realist-Conservative and Market-Aligned

Authors: Tsiala Jincharadze, Zaza Rukhadze

Introduction

In the modern world, education is increasingly conceptualized as a tool tailored to meet the needs of the labor market. While this perspective has gained prominence globally, its implications for small and peripheral states - such as Georgia - can be particularly problematic. At the same time, it would be erroneous to fully disregard the logic and mechanisms of the market. A system exclusively rooted in tradition and disconnected from socioeconomic realities risks becoming isolated and functionally obsolete.

This blog proposes a realist-conservative reconfiguration of Georgia’s education system, seeking a balanced synthesis between market logic and national strategic priorities. Education should not merely respond reactively to labor demands, nor should it function in isolation from the economy. Instead, it must become a long-term instrument of national development - grounded in intellectual depth, cultural tradition, and a structured system of functional skills.

1. Education as a National Strategy - But Not Isolated from the Market

Market responsiveness is a necessary component of any modern educational system. However, when reforms are driven solely by short-term labor trends, they threaten to erode national identity, critical thinking, and long-term intellectual capacity. A synthetic approach calls for education to be reimagined as both a national strategic asset and a functional contributor to the economy.

Within this framework, education must serve three core purposes:

• Knowledge preservation and transmission (the traditional function),

• Adequate responsiveness to labor market demands (the practical function),

• Formation of intellectual elites and civic leaders (the strategic function).

2. Conservative Foundations within Modern Governance Structures

A conservative philosophy of education does not imply a static or backward-looking model. Rather, it advocates for innovation that emerges from a foundation of clear academic hierarchies, traditional values, and scientific ethics. The wholesale imitation of managerial models - particularly those that emphasize market-driven competition and rankings - has undermined academic quality and substantive knowledge.

A renewed model should be anchored in:

• Respect for tradition and academic integrity,

• Enhanced academic autonomy,

• Responsible administration where quality remains a guiding priority over superficial marketing indicators.

3. Differentiated Education as a Skills-Oriented Strategy

Contemporary policy often embraces the ideal of universal higher education - suggesting that every citizen should pursue a university degree. However, this approach benefits neither individuals nor society. A synthetic and realist perspective recognizes that not everyone needs an academic degree; instead, the system must be diversified to emphasize professional and technical skills of real societal value.

Such a differentiated system should:

• Supply the labor market with qualified professionals in high-demand fields,

• Value and elevate vocational and technical skills,

• Promote genuine social mobility through diverse educational pathways, not just formal credentials.

Vocational education should no longer be viewed as a secondary alternative, but as an equally prestigious and functionally essential route - where knowledge is measured by real-world value, not solely by diplomas.

4. Educating Elites: The University’s National and Societal Function

From a conservative standpoint, elites are not a privileged class but a segment of society burdened with responsibility. The education system must therefore focus on cultivating citizens who are not merely consumers or workers, but thoughtful contributors to national progress.

This requires universities to:

• Foster research-oriented and civically engaged students,

• Be deeply embedded in national interests - especially in language, history, science, and strategic thinking,

• Serve as the intellectual innovation hubs of the state, not merely employment preparation centers.

Conclusion: Realist-Conservative Synthesis as a Strategic Educational Foundation

Georgia’s education system requires transformation - one that is non-dogmatic, dynamic, and grounded in strategic principles. Neither the market-centric liberal model - which reduces education to a function of economic efficiency - nor an insular traditionalist model - detached from contemporary challenges - can independently meet the nation’s long-term goals.

The alternative is a realist-conservative synthesis: an integrated model that not only responds to existing demands but actively shapes the future through a structure rooted in national values and functional skills.

Such an education system should become:

• A strategic resource for the state - serving not merely as a channel for knowledge dissemination, but as a pillar of the country’s intellectual security. It should prepare individuals who, through their professional and civic engagement, strengthen democratic institutions and build societal resilience.

• A rationally integrated partner to the market - not by blindly following trends, but by strategically analyzing and interpreting labor market signals. The goal is to cultivate individuals who not only meet current standards but define new ones - through innovation, critical thinking, and ethically grounded performance.

• A space rooted in tradition, ethics, and values - where modern technologies and effectiveness models are guided by a deep cultural memory, academic integrity, and scholarly discipline. Such a foundation protects the system from instrumentalization and ensures the meaningful development of intellectual capital.

• A differentiated and functional structure - providing a range of academic, professional, technical, and civic pathways. Not everyone needs to pursue a doctorate; what the nation needs is a rich ecosystem of engineers, artisans, analysts, administrators - individuals who functionally sustain the social fabric.

• A generator of national elites and civic leadership - institutions must nurture ethically sound, critically aware, and socially responsible individuals who will lead Georgia’s strategic development in politics, science, economics, and culture.

The Strategic Skills Economy, rooted in this synthetic vision, promotes an education model that is no longer merely reactive - responding passively to fast-changing labor dynamics - but actively constructs the architecture of the future. It envisions education not as a peripheral service sector, but as an integral part of state policy.

The goal is not mass diploma production, but the creation of a stable, intellectually empowered, and value-driven society - where education serves as both the intellectual core and cultural backbone of the nation.