KEY PREREQUISITE FOR EDUCATION REFORMS IN ARMENIA IS CONCENTRATON OF EFFORTS AND COMMITMENT TO COOPERATION
ARMINFO News Agency
October 10, 2006 Tuesday
The key prerequisite for effective education reforms in Armenia is
concentration of efforts and commitment to cooperation, say the
participants in the Day of Information, an event held in Yerevan
State University (YSU) today under the Tempus Tacis project. The
organizers are Armenian Education and Science Ministry, European
Commission Delegation to Armenia, Tempus project office in Armenia.
During their speeches the director of the project, the representative
of the EC Delegation to Armenia Irina Movsissyan, the rector of the
YSU Aram Simonyan, the deputy education and science minister Ara
Avetissyan, the representative of the European Commission Education
and Culture Directorate General Klaus Koerner pointed out the key
role of universities in social reforms. Universities should be less
bureaucratic and more enterprising. They should be oriented towards
labor market and should establish active contacts with the government,
local administrations, businessmen and NGOs. The speakers noted
that by joining the Bologna Process, Armenia has committed itself
to reform the whole education system. Armenian universities – both
governmental and private – have yet much to do to integrate into the
European education system.
To remind, Tempus is a program adopted by the EU Council of Ministers
in 1990. It has been prolonged for three times and will be finished
this year. The objective of the program is to intensify EU cooperation
with partner states in supporting higher education reforms. Armenia
joined the program in 1995 and since then has carried out 28 long-term
projects worth a total of 4.5 mln EUR. 9 state Armenian universities
– YSU, Engineering University, Medical University, Architecture and
Construction University, Economics University, Agricultural University,
Linguistic University and Pedagogical Institutes of Gyumri and Vanadzor
– as well as some private universities have taken part in the project.