The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli took part in the online award ceremony of the winners of the "M Vector" competition in mathematics and algorithmic thinking, addressed the young people, congratulated them on their victory and wished them success.

The competition is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, the International Charitable Foundation "Cartu" and Kutaisi International University (KIU), and the organizer - the Association for Educational Policy and Research (EPRA).

The finalists will be able to benefit from study and housing grants if they continue their studies at Kutaisi International University.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: "Congratulations to the winners of the competition! Good luck and many more important victories in life! I am confident that your knowledge and skills will give you plenty of opportunities to move forward in the future and I am also confident that you will be able to make a significant contribution to building a better future for our country.

I want to tell you that mathematics has a huge impact on our daily lives. Mathematics is directly related to logical, analytical and critical thinking. "I have devoted a significant part of my life to studying and teaching mathematics, and I think it is a science that enables us to better understand the world and develop the skills to solve problems effectively and make the right decisions in everyday life."

Mikheil Chkhenkeli informed the youth about the mega-project of the education system - Kutaisi International University and noted that its establishment is an event of great importance in terms of internationalization of education and science. The idea and the concept completely belongs to Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili. It was as a result of his and his family's extremely important charity that a world-wide academic and scientific-research space emerged in the country.

The Minister stressed that, despite the pandemic, the University was inaugurated in 2020 and from the 2020-21 academic year admitted the first students to three educational programs: Mathematics, Management and Computer Science. These programs are analogous to the Technical University of Munich. According to Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the existing approach will be maintained and Kutaisi International University will gradually create academic programs for all three levels of higher education in cooperation with the leading university in a specific field. Foreign professors are involved in the academic life of the university together with Georgians. As a result, in a few years, a hub of regional importance will be established in Kutaisi - an academic and scientific hub of world importance in education and science, which will be in line with European standards. Consequently, the university will be a very big arena for talented young people.

923 participants were registered at the main stage of "M Vector". 79 participants advanced to the finals. The main and final stages of the project were conducted online. During the stage, the participants could discuss the content issues with the project experts in a special forum.

"M Vector" is a competition that promotes the development of mathematical and algorithmic thinking, which responds to modern challenges and trends and is aimed at graduating students. "M Vector" was founded in 2020. The contestants are not only offered to demonstrate mathematical and algorithmic thinking and deepen their knowledge, but also to find interesting ways to solve specific mathematical problems with this knowledge. "M Vector" is intended for those XI-XII graders who are interested and love mathematics, but the project does not impose strict restrictions - even lower grade students can participate in it.