On January 4, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to participate in the discussion of the activity report 2023 of the Ministry.

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan and the deputy ministers presented the works, priorities in their areas of coordination, also referring to the planned reforms.

It was reported that during the previous year, important strategic documents were adopted: the action plan for the implementation of the state program for the development of education until 2030, development strategies for the fields of culture and sports. The Committee of Higher Education and Science of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports was established, the main goal of which is the integration of higher education and science.

In the field of general education the works were carried out in 3 main directions in 2023: improvement of content, professional development of educators, improvement of infrastructures.

It was noted that the new state standard of preschool education was introduced in 190 institutions. About 1,500 educators were trained, the system of granting the qualification category was introduced. Universal inclusive education has been fully introduced in the preschool system, currently 1,255 children with special educational needs are attending kindergarten, against 229 in 2022. The necessary funds for ensuring their education were provided from the state budget, and from September, the children of servicemen also joined this group.

An amendment was made to the Law on Preschool Education, according to which all current principals must be certified by June 1, 2024, otherwise they will not be able to hold office. In 2023, 263 people participated in the certification.

The new state standard of general education was introduced in the 2nd, 5th, 7th grades of all schools of the country. The creation and printing of textbooks took place with a new approach, which significantly changed the quality of the textbooks while expanding the opportunities for participation. The new system of creating textbooks has had an impact on the price. on average, one textbook costs 742 AMD to 1,044 AMD in elementary school, and 1,249 AMD to 1,722 AMD in middle school.

Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized that education policy is the most important policy developed and implemented by the Government. "We need to be sure that our textbooks convey those messages. Those messages that are conveyed should be state-centric, they should be about the state, the history of the state, and literature should also be like that. There is huge amplitude there, and we need to be very careful. And we have to say it, and we say it, there has to be state-centric content. The school is a state institution, and everything must be in line with it, absolutely everything."

In the framework of professional development and encouragement of teachers, the voluntary certification of teachers continued. About 4,200 teachers participated in voluntary certification in 2023. In general, during the three years of implementation of the system, 3,830 teachers were certified, who are paid at an increased rate of 200,000 AMD, and according to the results shown, receive a bonus of 30-50%.

For the first time, the voluntary certification of out-of-school educators was also carried out, as a result of which the 44 certified specialists receive bonus.

Speaking about the importance of the certification process, the Prime Minister noted. “The depth of knowledge and content is very important. Learning by heart a text is different from mastering the text. What is the problem? Do you understand when people in the field of education say, you know what, let me answer these 3 questions, those 50 questions have nothing to do with the topic, maybe that's true, but there's something, there's a discomfort for us because we want to have deep knowledge. We do it for the student. There are students, we hope that there will be more students who are not in that circle, they understand and ask such questions. I think it is a great tragedy and a great demotivation for a student if he asks a question to the teacher and realizes that the teacher has absolutely no idea about the question he asked. No one can know everything, but during the lesson there should be some brainwork, and one should also know how to deal with what he doesn’t know. And here there is an issue of the depth of knowledge."

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan noted that earlier she thought that none of the teachers would fail the test work. "The fact showed that there are teachers of grades 1-4 who fail. There you think, what questions of the subject program should be asked that would be difficult for the teacher to answer?"

Responding, the Prime Minister added: “Do you understand what that means? Our elementary school teacher is failing certification. My problem is neither the teacher nor his failure, my problem is the child. What are we doing, what impact are we having on the child's future with such irresponsibility?”

According to the minister, the fact remains that voluntary certification diagnoses the problems with teachers, no matter how much one likes or dislikes it. According to Zhanna Andreasyan, this also explains the resistance to participating in the certification.

At the same time, it was mentioned that the other system of encouraging teachers is the qualification category. Last year, 101 teachers were awarded the category. for the first time, there are teachers with 4th grade qualification, whose salary has increased by 50%.

In response to the Prime Minister's question, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan noted that within the framework of the voluntary certification process, the level of knowledge of the teachers in the subject is checked. "That is, it is exclusively a test that checks the knowledge of the given subject. But apart from that, in order to consider that the teacher is a good teacher, we need to understand how well he plans the lesson, what pedagogical methods he uses, how he provides feedback to the children in the classroom. The qualification category seems to cover the second piece. So why did we change the order? In the past, in order to grant a qualification category, they wanted the teacher's certificates of appreciation, honors, some documentary things, or articles that were sometimes published in some obscure magazines. We now want teachers to videotape their lessons to see how the teacher is teaching, how much technology is being used, how much is the child involved in the lesson, is it focusing on one or two students or is the whole class participating. We want his lesson plans, that is, for example, the teacher should explain the subject from physics, how he planned it, in what order, with what logic," Zhanna Andreasyan presented details.

Responding, the Prime Minister noted: "We have essentially changed the procedure of receiving a qualification category. In other words, we linked it with pedagogical methods and the teaching process, and it can be verified with videos how they are granted with a qualification category."

In 2023, two other programs aimed at increasing the salaries of teachers were introduced: the provision of a 25% bonus for teachers teaching science subjects, within the scope of which the salary of around 8,420 teachers was increased by an average of 32,000 AMD per teacher, and the encouragement of rural school teachers with up to 100 students, within the framework of which out of 3987 teachers teaching in rural schools with up to 100 students, 2975 teachers' salaries were increased from 71 700 AMD to 115 300 AMD.

All elementary school students in the regions - 135,000 students - benefit from the "School Meals" program; Preparatory works are being carried out to introduce the program in Yerevan schools from 2025.

Implementation of the Government's "300 schools-500 kindergartens" program continued. The list of 293 schools included in the program has been approved, the construction of most schools will start at the beginning of 2024. Construction works of 29 schools and 114 kindergartens were completed. Property has been allocated for newly constructed 29 school gymnasiums and 24 schools. 88 schools of Armavir region and all newly built schools have been equipped with STEM labs.

The Prime Minister noted that monitoring should be carried out to evaluate the results of all programs. "We launched a program, we need to monitor, go back to absolutely all programs. I also said at the Cabinet meeting, we are financing, what are we giving that money for? Money is a transport means for a certain political goal, we want to bring that goal to its destination. We have to go and see if our goal has been achieved or not. After all, what is our goal? Our goal is the student, is it better or worse for the student? If it turns out that it’s better for the student, where good and bad are determined by the standard. It is also good that we know what is good and what is bad. In other words, if we go and see it's good, let's continue, if we see it's not good, we should think about what to do."

In the field of vocational and secondary vocational education, the bill on “Vocational Education and Training" was approved by the Government and submitted to the National Assembly for debate, the adoption of which will enable to increase the quality of vocational education. Construction works are underway in 13 educational institutions, 7 institutions have been equipped with new property.

The scholarship policy has been revised in order to increase interest in priority professions. 50,000 AMD scholarships were allocated to students studying agriculture, industry and construction, which had a direct impact on admission rates.

It was emphasized that the most important work in the field of science and higher education is the adoption of the "Academic City" project concept and the creation of the "Academic City" Fund.

An amendment was made to the Law on Cinematography, as a result of which the system of partial return of investments (cash rebate) will be applied. Cooperation with well-known and prestigious filmmakers has also greatly contributed to the development of the film industry and film production. In particular, a memorandum was signed with "People of Ar" company, cooperation with "Netflix" is also visible. The film "The American" was included in the "Oscar" shortlist (director: Michael Goorjian).

In 2023, 507 million 977 thousand AMD were allocated to 9 theater-concert organizations for the purpose of improving the property and material and technical base. Festivals (FestiVar, Sayat-Nova, Zark Fest), various cultural events in the border regions, inter-community joint initiatives, concerts of foreign artists in the regions were held in order to decentralize culture and activate the cultural life of the regions.

In 2023, 18 educational and cultural projects were implemented, in which 550 schools, 21,000 students were included, 5 inclusive programs were implemented with 1,800 participants.

The 850th anniversary of Nerses Shnorali's death (conference, exhibition and solemn concerts, including in Greece, Vatican) and the 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema were included in the list of UNESCO jubilee dates.

The program dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Aram Khachatryan (65 concerts in 12 countries, exhibitions and conferences), the program dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema (more than 17 events) were held. Among the important jubilee events in 2024 are the 100-year anniversaries of Charles Aznavour and Sergey Parajanov, which are included in this year's UNESCO jubilee lists.

A new price package of tickets has been introduced in museums, and free entry has been established for children under 12 years old. A total of 205,707 students benefited from the school subscription program in 2023.

"Artashat Capital" historical and cultural reserve was created, the unified electronic ticketing system of museums under the Ministry is in the first stage of introduction.

Minas Avetisyan and Gevorg Grigoryan (Jotto) museums were renovated, renovation works of H. Tumanyan Museum are underway.

14 intangible cultural heritage values were added to the list of intangible cultural heritage values that need immediate protection. 11 intangible cultural heritage conservation grant programs were implemented in 50 communities and Javakhk.

In 2023, restoration works of 8 monuments were carried out, design documents for information centers in the territories of monuments were developed, 3 of which will be installed in 2024.

36 structures of historical and cultural value have been granted the status of newly discovered monuments, permission for archaeological study of 55 monuments has been granted, 10 monuments have been restored or are in the process of restoration within the framework of public-private cooperation.

The tradition of blacksmithing on Gyumri, the collection of Komitas's works were registered in UNESCO's lists of intangible cultural heritage, the request submitted by Armenia to grant enhanced protection status to the monument "Tatev and Tatev Desert Monastery Complexes and the adjacent areas of the Vorotan Valley" was approved.

Cooperation with the UN, EU, Council of Europe, CIS, EAEU, Francophonie and other structures continued. The framework programs "Creative Europe" in the field of culture, "Erasmus+" in the field of education and "Horizon Europe" in the field of science with the EU are memorable. The budgetary support program "EU support for education in Armenia" was approved (32 million euros).

It was reported that in the academic year 2023-2024, the total number of foreign and Diaspora Armenian students studying in Armenian universities increased by 8.4%, making 8333 students, of which 4229 are Diaspora Armenians (including 330 Diaspora Armenians studying under the state order). 563 foreign citizens study in Armenian colleges, of which 532 are Diaspora Armenians (2% increase). The electronic platform for the reception and registration of documents of foreign citizens for Armenian universities has been developed, the operation of which is planned to be launched in 2024-2025 year. The procedure for the admission of foreigners, effective since 2011, is being updated.

Funded by the state budget, the program of teaching Armenian and Armenian studies in foreign countries was implemented in 15 educational institutions of 13 countries.

The capacity building program for teachers of diaspora educational centers was organized, which was held in 7 program directions for 120 hours. 38,570 pieces of educational materials were provided to 220 educational institutions in 23 countries, of which 21,970, 57%, were given to Georgia. The electronic database of educational materials of schools of the diaspora was created: https://lib.armedu.am/category/67, which is gradually supplemented with new textbooks and materials.

During 2023, a total of 25 programs were implemented in the field of youth with the financing of the state budget, amounting to 2 billion 190 million AMD. Work on the development of the law on "Youth" and the national youth index has begun. Gavar was recognized youth capital for 2024.

Two youth centers were established with state funds, in the communities of Dilijan of Tavush region and Aparan of Aragatsotn region. 9 capacity building programs were implemented.

Another 733 families have become beneficiaries of the "Affordable housing for young families" program in 2023, who have purchased apartments with state subsidies, of which 179 are from Yerevan, 554 from regions. In general, since the start of the program in 2010, the total number of beneficiaries was 8140.

In 2023, the Government allocated 1 billion 755 million 300 thousand AMD to 35 sports federations. Those federations held 98 championships in Armenia, participated in 213 international tournaments, including European and world championships, organized 169 training camps (with different age groups).

During the previous year, in the European and World Championships of different age groups, the World University Games, the European, CIS, Francophone Games, the Armenian athletes won 445 medals (25 of which were women), including 125 gold, 127 silver and 193 bronze.

In 2023, 94 athletes, 72 personal trainers, 32 head and senior coaches, 13 doctors and masseurs received sports benefits in order to best prepare for the "Paris 2024" Summer Olympic Games. With various programs of the government, 64 athletes and coaches receive up to 500,000 AMD, 24 athletes and coaches - 500,000-1 million AMD, 2 athletes - more than 1 million monthly benefits and nominal pension in 2023. 70 athletes received a one-time reward of up to 500,000 AMD at the end of the year, 45 athletes - up to 1 million AMD, 91 athletes - more than 1 million AMD. 1 athlete received a total of 18 million AMD for achievements in 2023. The 10 best athletes of 2023 were awarded 5 million AMD each.

In 2023, 79 athletes who showed high results in different years received a monthly honorarium. At the end of the year, 205 athletes in 15 sports, their coaches and doctors of adult teams received one-time awards.

During the previous year, 5 major tournaments were held in the Republic of Armenia. 600 participants from 40 countries took part in the European weightlifting championship on April 15-23 / the Armenian team won 13 medals: 4 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze/. From April 23 to May 4, the European Youth Boxing Championship was held in Yerevan, in which 350 participants from 39 countries took part / the Armenian youth team won 13 medals: 1 gold, 2 silver and 10 bronze/. On November 10-12, the adult Sambo World Championship was held, in which 700 participants from 71 countries took part / the Armenian team won 10 medals: 5 silver, 5 bronze. On November 12, the World Youth Latin American Championship of Sports Dance took place with 120 participants from 33 countries. The World Junior Boxing Championship was held from November 21 to December 5, in which 450 boxers from 52 countries participated / the Armenian team won 10 medals: 4 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze.

In the reporting year, 5 mass sports events were held under the title “Prime Minister's Cup": amateur cross-country cycling, cross-country running, swimming, table tennis, team cross-country race for schoolchildren, in which 6,496 people participated. Under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the army games between the law-enforcment bodies and other mass sports events were also held. In total, 40,228 people participated in mass sports events organized by the Ministry in 2023.

Summarizing, the Prime Minister referred to the provision of necessary textbooks to the schools of the Diaspora and emphasized that the Government is ready to increase the financial allocations in that direction in order to meet the existing needs. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the work of establishing youth centers in different cities and settlements and noted that the program should be continuous. Speaking about regional and city libraries, the Prime Minister noted that it is necessary to outsource their management to the best companies with experience in the field, holding a relevant tender for the latter. "In a sense, they should become centers of intellectual entertainment. Our task is to keep these libraries alive," the Head of Government emphasized.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the consistent work in the direction of preservation of the immovable monuments of history and culture, emphasized the need for efficient activity of museums and increase of their own income.

Nikol Pashinyan inquired whether the Government is carrying out the necessary work in preparation for the Paris Olympic Games. Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan emphasized that the state is taking all the necessary steps for the preparations of the athletes in the best possible way. The Prime Minister, emphasizing the promotion of sports centers in regions, considered it necessary to ensure the activity of fitness centers in cooperation with the private sector and to develop a new model of their management.