We Must Have an Educational Program that Contributes to the Country's Development, to Equip Individuals with Maximum Skills - Nikol Pashinyan

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, chaired a discussion at the government regarding the budget allocations request of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports for 2020. This was reported by the information and public relations department of the Prime Minister’s office.

The discussion revolved around the ministry's priorities, key issues, actions, and reforms for 2020.

Initially, the issues within the general education sector and the efforts to address them were discussed. Minister Arayik Harutyunyan noted that in 2020, a process for teacher certification is planned to enhance the effectiveness of educational institutions, and training programs will be implemented based on the results of this certification.

Efforts are being made to revise the curricula in high schools to make them more effective. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the subject list and educational programs.

The capital expenditures planned for educational institutions and the functioning of kindergartens were also addressed. It was noted that children spend only 4-5 hours in kindergarten each day.

Speaking about kindergartens, Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that the state should create broad opportunities for parents to work, while children should start their educational journey within kindergartens and engage in the educational process early on. “We must have an educational program that contributes to the country's development, to equip individuals with maximum skills,” stated Prime Minister Pashinyan.

Attention was also drawn to culture, specifically the activities of museums, theaters, and musical ensembles, as well as their activation. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the effective operation of cultural institutions, including increasing their own revenues, which would allow attracting additional funds beyond state resources to expand their activities and solve problems.

Regarding the science sector, officials reported that over the past year, state funding has resulted in the upgrading of around two dozen laboratories with the latest equipment. In 2020, funding for science is set to increase by 17 percent, reaching 1.5 billion drams, which is an unprecedented volume compared to previous allocations. Of this amount, 510 million drams will be directed again towards the re-equipping of laboratories. In 2020, specific criteria will be introduced to evaluate the activities of scientific institutions.

For the sports sector, over 4 billion drams have been allocated for the upcoming year, which includes plans for thirty initiatives. It was also mentioned that the optimization process of the official vehicle fleet continues in the ministry; currently, 8 out of 19 official vehicles remain under the ministry's disposal.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of implementing optimization efforts in this area and provided specific directives.