Preschool Licensing Regulations to Change: Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia has introduced a draft project for public discussion aimed at making amendments and additions to the licensing regulations.

It is proposed to revise the requirements for public purpose educational space in the Government's decision No. 808-N dated July 9, 2009, specifically concerning preschool educational institutions, and to lower the percentage threshold for main staff in these establishments.

According to the justification, this change will facilitate the licensing of organizations that operate under the name of development centers but predominantly provide preschool services, enabling them to do so without obstacles.

Discussions regarding the public purpose requirement for educational space have revealed that many preschool institutions, including those implementing basic preschool educational programs, may encounter difficulties during licensing, given that a significant number of such institutions currently operate in residential areas. Thus, there is a necessity to replace the requirement for public purpose educational space with one necessitating either public or residential purpose space for institutions implementing preschool educational programs.

Considering that organizations providing preschool services also offer services lasting up to four hours, it is proposed to revisit the requirements for main staff, as some of these professionals work in other institutions for part of the day. In light of this, it is planned to reduce the threshold for main staff from 80% to 50%.

Non-governmental centers offering various preschool educational programs and services will ensure the minimum requirements for children's health and safety (hygienic and sanitary-epidemiological, fire safety, etc.) by obtaining licenses and operating under the supervision of an authorized body, as well as achieving the final educational outcomes outlined in the curriculum.

The discussion of the draft will continue on the unified platform for the publication of legal acts until May 13. Citizens, interested organizations, and entities can submit their opinions, comments, and proposals.