PRE-SCHOOL INSTITUTIONS NEED COMPLEX REFORMS: LAW "ON PRE-SCHOOL
EDUCATION" MUST SOLVE PROBLEMS OF SPHERE

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. 900 pre-school institutions function
in Armenia at present. 225 of them are in Yerevan. 66 thousand
children are involved in those institutions. Among the marzes, the
marz of Ararat has the most, 115 pre-school institutions, and the marz
of Vayots Dzor has the fewest, 18 institutions.

As Melsida Sargsian, the chief specialist of the pre-school department
of the RA Ministry of Education and Science stated in the interview to
the Noyan Tapan correspondent, there are at all no pre-school
institutions in 448 communities of Armenia today, and there are
buildings in 338 ones but they do not function. In these institutions
envisaged for children from 0-6 years old, their involvement has the
following picture: attendance of 1-4 year old children makes 6.75%,
and of 5-6 year old children makes 20.0%.

In M.Sargsian’s words, the law "On Pre-School Education" has already
been adopted which will regulate the problems gathered in the
sphere. In her words, after fall of the Soviet orders, no joint
directed state policy was implemented in this sphere of education. The
present pre-school institutions are put into operation and financed by
communities. Every community itself decides the size of the
institution employee’s salary and the size of the payment for one
child’s attendance. In total, the highest payment is 5-7 thousand
drams for one child, and the lowest reaches 2.5 thousand drams. The
size of the money is defined at the community councillors’ council.

M.Sargsian is sure that pre-school institutions today need complex
reforms. "Pre-school institutions today continue working according to
the Soviet Union standards. It is necessary to work out flexible
programs, methodological literature on implementation of their
activity, introduce short-term and alternative ways of work which will
assist increase of children’s involvement," the chief specialist
finds.

According to her estimation, today pre-school institutions must solve
few primary problems: assist the child’s all-round development,
prepare the child for school and assist families in the issue of the
child’s education.

The Ministry of Education and Science and UNICEF implement already for
the second year a program of parents’ education where parents having
children at the age of 0-6 are taught what a child at that age needs,
how their bringing up and education must be organized.

"Children at this age are interested in a toy and game. It is
necessary to implement whole their daily life, sleep, busy time,
education, with the help of various toys and games," M.Sargsian
emphasized.

She also stated that an alternative program on pre-school education is
being experienced in the marz of Ararat what is envisaged for parents
and children of rural settlements. During the period of field works in
summer months pre-school institutions must work in two shifts, in
evening hours as well.