The Budget of the 'Academic City' Represents 30% of Armenia's National Debt

The newspaper 'Zhoghovurd' reports that Armenia's Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports is unaware of the details of the 'Academic City' project under her leadership and continues to mislead the public.

Let's explain how. According to the state development program for education in Armenia until 2030, the construction of the 'Academic City' is outlined. According to the Ministry, the 'Academic City' will be a university and research campus with all necessary infrastructure that will ensure a quality and internationally competitive environment for higher education and research.

Within the 'Academic City', it will be possible to accommodate up to 16 universities: up to 8 state universities and up to 8 private or international universities as stipulated by law. On July 9, the final version of the general layout of the 'Academic City' was presented, during which Minister Zhanna Andreasian told reporters that the launch of the 'Academic City' would take place in 2030, and regarding the merger of state and private universities, she noted, 'At this moment, I cannot say with complete accuracy; we are working to ensure that universities can operate in that environment as soon as possible.'

However, a month later, the joining of private universities to the 'Academic City' concept is not yet confirmed, and the minister's statements seem to be wavering. Up to 16 universities, 80,000 students, various fields of study from arts to military, and public buildings, including a train station and accessible transport hubs are detailed in the general layout's final version, and even a place to admire the sunset is proposed.

According to the Committee on Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, in 2023, there were 80,000 students, compared to 74,942 students in 2019, and 100,854 students ten years ago. The number of students has decreased by 20,000 over ten years, raising questions about how the Ministry of Education plans to accommodate diverse human resources within the 80,000 student framework.

The final version of the city's general layout is ready. Tobias Keil, a representative of the German architectural firm, provided details on what will be included. After the emergence of the 'Academic City' concept, Minister Zhanna Andreasian has been asserting that the city will be ready by 2030, yet Tobias Keil, the Deputy Director of the German gmp International GmbH Architects and Engineers, countered the minister and denied the claims repeatedly made over the past two years. Keil stated that the first buildings would be constructed in 2029, and the city could take 20-30 years to complete. He emphasized that this is not just a city of educational facilities, but it will also feature restaurants and shopping centers.

This leaves one concluding that Minister of Education Zhanna Andreasian has either lied or is unaware of certain details all this time. For instance, Minister Andreasian was unable to specify the precise financial parameters regarding the cost of the 'Academic City' project; however, the Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education and Science, Sarkis Hayotsyan, clearly stated it would cost 1.2 trillion drams. The minister has not only misstated timelines but also the financial scope of the 'Academic City' project.

It is important to note that Armenia's national debt amounts to 11.943 billion USD, which is nearly 4 trillion drams, thus the allocation of 1.2 trillion drams for the 'Academic City' represents nearly 30% of Armenia's national debt.