Minister to Visit National Assembly; Rectors' Topic Back on Agenda

The agenda for the January 13 meeting of the Permanent Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sports of the National Assembly includes a package of draft laws regarding "Higher Education and Science." This package had already sparked a wave of criticism at the end of last year due to its unacceptable provisions for educational institutions.

The issue is that in several universities, unable to secure desirable candidates for rectors, the authorities have decided to change the law and ultimately undermine the system. The new draft suggests allowing the empowered body, the Government, to appoint the rector of a university for one or five years, which contradicts the autonomy of universities and academic freedom. Notably, many of the provisions in this law are also deemed unconstitutional.

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" has learned that there have been intense discussions regarding the package during this period, with different university rectors meeting in Parliament to try to reach a consensus and make optimal changes. It should be noted that the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Vahram Dumanyan, will also be present at the committee meeting. This is reported by the newspaper "Zhoghovurd."