SYSTEM OF ART AND MUSIC SCHOOLS REQUIRES SERIOUS REFORMATION

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 1, a meeting of executives
of the sphere of education and culture with Yerevan and regional
school directors and representatives of the department of culture
took place. The meeting was dedicated to the issue of necessity of
adoption of a law on the system of music and art schools. According
to the studies conducted by RA Ministry of Education and Science,
no retraining of teachers was held in the system in 1991. And the
curriculums and subject programs were last published in 1998. By the
government decree in 1996 232 schools passed on to the subordination
of local self-government bodies, as a result of which 62 schools were
closed. At present 170 schools with 4600 teachers and 24 thousand
pupils function. From 1996 the demand for attending classes of folk
instruments and folk crafts reduced. The number of applicants to
classes of piano mainly didn’t change and the number of applicants
to classes of string and wind instruments reduced. According to the
studies, the decrease in the number of pupils mainly depends on the
amount of the education fee, which fluctuates from 1500 to 10000 drams
(nearly 3-21 dollars). Sergo Yeritsian, RA Minister of Education and
Science, considers that first of all a law regulating the activity
of these schools should be adopted. According to the Minister, the
bill is to be worked out during 2-3 months and the legislative and
sublegislative acts are to be adopted in 2006-2007. Hovik Hoveyan, RA
Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs, reported that in 2004 November
the government approved the conception of aesthetic education. The
important provisions of the conception are improvement of the
system of management, establishment of a material-technical base,
working out of new curriculums and subject programs, accessibility
of education. H.Hoveyan mentioned that a program of development of
art education is being worked out with the RA Ministry of Education
and Science at present. The program will include the whole sphere of
art education, as well as comprehensive and secondary professional
schools. The program will be submitted to the government’s approval.