“TELEVISION DAY” IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
March 16 2006

At March 15 sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education,
Culture and Youth Affairs the draft of RA Law on Making Amendments
and Addendum on Higher and Post-Graduate Specialized Education.

As Sergo Yeritsyan, RA Minister of Education and Science, as
the faculty is the structural division of the higher educational
institution, and the dean of the faculty carries out the management
of the faculty and the organization of the work, except the
scientific-pedagogical activity, his work is also of administrative
nature, what is suggested to fix in the law.

In some MPs’ view, the dean can carry out administrative functions,
but it doesn’t mean that his/her post, it’s of organizational
character. Committee Chairwoman Hranush Hakobyan proposed the authors
to specify this disputable problem with RA Ministry of Justice, clarify
the problem of complying it with the law, after which guarantee to
put it on the sittings agenda.

Gevorg Gevorgyan, RA Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs, presented
the draft on Libraries and Library Science, informing that taking into
account the claims and suggestions voiced during the parliamentary
hearings the draft has been improved. He noted in particular that the
name of the draft has been changed into draft on Libraries. There
are also amendments on the librarians’ training, the necessity of
compliance with their specialty and availability of at least one
community library in each community.

Hranush Hakobyan, Committee Chairwoman, noticed that we should be
realistic and should not add any provision on double fold of the
salary without any financial ground, to lay down the problem of
having compulsory specialized education in the conditions of the
specialists’ lack, which can be a reason of social encroachments. At
Mrs. Hakobyan’s proposal the draft was guaranteed to be put on the
agenda of the session of the National Assembly.

Alexan Harutiunyan, Chairman of the Public TV and Radio Council
addressed the 2005 activity of the Council, presenting the goals of
the activity, the measures ensuring them, the implemented programmes,
the indices of financing, the commercial and investment activity. Mr.

Harutiunyan informed that till the end of 2006 the works of technical
upgrading of TV and Radio Company will be completed, providing
with international indices the high quality of the broadcasting
programmes. The Public TV Company has done a lot of work in
re-broadcasting the programmes through cable and other communications
in the settlements having Armenian big communities abroad, making more
accessible for the Diasporan Armenians the watching of the programmes
pf Public TV Company.

On December 2005 on the assistance of the Public TV Company and
involved credit expenses the Shirak Public TV and Radio obtained
technical means, due to which instead of network the broadcasting of
the radio programmes is carried out within FM for 24 hours. Mr.

Harutiunyan expressed a hope that during the discussion of the 2007
state budget draft the National Assembly will support in adding the
financing of Shirak Public TV and Radio Company.

According to the programme “State Order in TV Films Production”
envisaged by 2005 state budget, “Yerevan Studio” CJSC has shot two
TV films: one of them related to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, and the other one – the 60th anniversary of the victory in
the Patriotic war.

Mr. Harutiunyan informed that the live broadcasting have cultural
and sports events of international importance is carried out on the
expenses of commercial revenues: the 2006 World Cup Football matches
will also be broadcast with those means.

Alexan Harutiunyan also touched upon the broadcasting of TV and
radio programmes on National Assembly activity, noting that they
propose to regulate them not by law but on contractual bases, which
doesn’t assume the financial obligations. He said that he applied to
Mr. Baghdasaryan, President of the National Assembly, with a letter,
and he hopes that in near future the council will have an opportunity
to meet with NA leadership in order to thoroughly discuss that issue.

Grigor Amalyan, Chairman of the TV and Radio National Commission,
addressed the 2005 activity, presenting the amendments made on the
list of the envisaged frequencies for the TV and radio broadcasting,
the results of 2005 broadcasting competitions.

At the authors’ proposal the commission postponed for 15 days the
debate on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA law on the Information
Freedom and the package of the addenda and amendments being proposed
in other 6 laws connected with it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress