US ACCREDITATION OF AUA TO INFLUENCE ARMENIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 2 2007

YEREVAN, March 2. /ARKA/. The accreditation of the American University
of Armenia (AUA) to the US Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC) will exert considerable influence on Armenia’s education system,
RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtichyan told reporters.

"From now on, besides international universities founded under
intergovernmental agreements, an internationally accredited higher
school will be working in Armenia," he said.

Mkrtichyan pointed out that since the very first days of Armenia’s
independence the AUA has been involved in forming the country’s
independent statehood.

"We intend to apply the AUA’s positive experience in Armenia’s other
higher schools," he said.

In this context the Minister reported that the RA Government is
considering a new order of accrediting higher schools supposed to
improve the situation in Armenia’s higher education sector.

"We want the state-run and private higher schools that intend to get
accreditation to realize that this process must be started inside
the higher school through the estimation of internal resources and
settlement of issues of administration and education and consistent
preparation for accreditation," he said.

On March 2, 2007, the AUA was accredited to the US Western Association
of Schools and Colleges (WASC) for seven years. The AUA is the first
higher school outside the USA having this accreditation.

The idea of founding the AUA was suggested in 1989. The first students
were admitted in 1991. The AUA was founded by the RA Government, the
University of California, UAS, and the Armenian General Benevolent
Union. The AUA trains lawyers, specialists in medicine, business,
management, engineering, linguistics and diplomacy.