SERIOUS CHANGES EXPECTED IN SPHERE OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
STEPANAKERT, December 21 (Noyan Tapan). According to NKR Minister of
Education, Culture and Sport Armen Sargsian, serious changes which may
be considered as strategic are expected in the sphere of education and
culture by the 2005 budget. In particular, the salary of teachers will
increase and make 50,000 drams, the salary of employees of the sphere
of culture and sport will increase by 18-24%. The work directed at the
establishment of pre-school groups will continue. Another 15 groups
will be replenished to already opened 24 groups this year. Boarding
departments will be opened at some schools. It is expected that the
methodical manuals of 2.5 mln drams will be published for the first
time (the pedagogues of the republic were deprived of them during
ten years). The reforms will also be carried out in the sphere of
culture: the sum foreseen for the restoration, protection and study
of monuments will reach 100 mln drams as against 5-7 mln drams in the
previous years. According to the 2005 budget, the sums foreseen for the
holding of cultural and youth arrangements also increased. According
to the Minister, the participation of gifted children in different
cultural arrangements abroad will also become possible. According to
Armen Sargsian, this policies will be continuous.