Mayor of Kutaisi Mr. Nugzar Paliani Visits

the Annual Meeting of the KSU English Speaking Club 

Natia Zviadadze

The English Speaking Club at KSU English Studies Department is 27 years old. The tradition of admitting first-year students to the club membership is a chronicle of many interesting meetings.

In the last 3 years this event has gained a large scale and became a real festival for all the freshers, majoring in English. The annual meeting was held on October 5th. It was attended by the honourable guest Mayor of the city, Mr. Nugzar Paliani.

The event raised hopes for a better future and made us believe that Georgian gene is a phenomenon of huge potential, though time by time it needs to be woken up.

The ceremony of admitting new members was preceded by an interesting preparation. The feeling of becoming a student had not been fully realized yet when the rehearsals were appointed for learning Georgian, British and American anthems and the medieval century students’ anthem in Latin. We are very sorry to admit that the majority of students entering the university know neither the melody nor the text of their country’s anthem. No one can learn a foreign language and culture well if one does not know properly the history, language and culture of one’s own country. A good knowledge of a foreign language should be one of the means which will help the 21th century young generation build up their future.

On the day of the grand meeting the University assembly hall was full of freshers. They performed the anthems of three countries with great enthusiasm in a professional way. Of course their voices sounded louder when it was the anthem of Georgia.

The president of the Club, Giorgi Khokhobashvili, a student of Information Technologies and English, opened the ceremony. After his greeting the vice-president  and other members of the English Speaking Club, introduced the club activities and regulations to the freshers. Later the freshers of all faculties - English Language and Literature, Information Technologies and English, History and English, Georgian and English, Primary Education and English, Arts and English presented their amateur activities.

After this interesting ceremony the freshers took an oath and promised to use the knowledge acquired at the University for the prosperity of our nation. Then they performed the students’ hymn “Gaudeamus” in Latin. The undergraduates, demonstrating their perfect language skills, congratulated the first-year students joining the English Speaking Club with their own amateur activities.

The ceremony was attended by the University authorities, Rector, Deans, Heads of the Departments, teachers and lecturers who all enjoyed the meeting. Mr. Nugzar Paliani without dropping in home after his business trip to Tbilisi arrived straight at the University to participate in the ceremony. It was a great honour for the University and particularly encouraging for the students when he addressed them. This is what the Mayor said:

My junior friends,

I am very thankful to you for an opportunity to meet you at the Annual meeting of the Club. Frankly speaking I felt a bit embarrassed when you so heartily congratulated me on the occasion of my being elected Mayor of the city, in English, the language you learn at the University.

I hope you will let me tell you a few words in Georgian, our native tongue.

I am not flattering you saying that I am really very impressed by what I have seen and heard from you today.

It makes me feel that you can take on responsibility for the future of the country, and it’s very important today. You can be proud of the results you have achieved.

I can’t help expressing my gratitude to the enthusiastic people who founded this club years ago, to the staff of the English Studies Department and University officials who contribute to its successful work.

I’d like to express my special respect and love to our wonderful lady Ms. Madonna Megrelishvili, who spares no time and efforts leading ‘English speaking‘ Kutaisi, the most Georgian of all Georgian cities.

I do not only consider the club as a structure, which enables several generations of young people to master the English language. No doubt, this is of paramount importance. The most significant thing is that the knowledge gained in the Club contributes to the city’s development, widening its business links and introducing our culture and history to people in different parts of the world. Thanks to the activities of the club. Kutaisi gains the best educational experience and uses it for integrating our country into the civilized world.

Twinning with the city of Newport, the UK and the city of Columbia, the US is the most illustrious example of it.

I have a great desire to join you in your work as soon as possible.

I hope that your links with the Certified Foreign Diplomatic Corps in Georgia and with English- speaking guests of the city will become still more productive.

As for me, though I can’t promise to learn English as well as you, I can promise that I’ll do my best to support you and help create better conditions for your studies and work at the University. I hope your knowledge will be useful for our town and most importantly for our country, which as ever needs educated and professional patriots and can benefit from your considerable skills.