The European Union-Armenia Educational Dialogue topic was discussed at Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports with the participation of Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, head of the EU delegation to Armenia.
Ministry head Zhanna Andreasyan noted the importance of effective cooperation with EU partners, particularly during the stages of developing, adopting and implementing the 2030 Armenian state educational program, the press service of Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.
"As a result of joint work we have a program approved by the National Assembly and already acting as a law. Then we also have an important action plan, which will contain measurability and financial evaluation. This will allow us to have a clear map of what we have to do in the coming years. The support we have received from our EU partners is simply invaluable," Andreasyan said, adding that the deadline for approving the action plan is three months.
Andreasyan added that cooperation with the European Union is not limited to the sphere of education but also includes culture and science. She reiterated the readiness to continue working together with the partners from the EU in all directions to improve the quality of education in our country.
Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, Head of EU Delegation to Armenia recalled the importance of the EU-RA educational dialogue with Armenia and emphasized that the adoption of the Armenia 2030 State Program for Education Development is an opportunity to expand the perspectives of cooperation.
The EU partners announced future programs which aim at supporting their implementation, with an emphasis on the reforms in the sphere of general education. It was noted that the introduction of the new educational model in Syunik province and the localization of the new standard of general education are considered within the framework of the EU support programs.
The development of non-formal education structures in the format of COAF and TUMO centers was also mentioned and it was mentioned that together with the formal education system they supplement the effectiveness of the organization of education.
During the meeting, Deputy Ministers of Education and Science and head of the Department of Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education, presented the main directions of the educational strategy.
During the event, the Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports also raised the issue of violations of the rights to education and other fundamental rights of children from Nagorno-Karabakh, in connection with the closure of the Lachin corridor.
"Many children from Nagorno-Karabakh are now in Armenia and have been deprived of the opportunity to reunite with their families for a long time. Of course, we have tried to ensure their right to education, children attend schools, kindergartens and colleges in Yerevan and Goris. But this is not the right situation, and we all understand that children should have the opportunity to return to their families as soon as possible.
"Even more alarming is that the educational process in pre-schools in Nagorno-Karabakh has been suspended due to the inability to provide them with food. Today the most important task for all of us is to get out of the crisis situation. I hope that joint efforts to ensure these fundamental rights will also yield results, although the situation has gone on for too long," Andreasyan said.
According to the head of the Delegation of the European Union, Ambassador Andrea Victorin, they are closely monitoring the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blockade of the Lachin corridor. “The road must definitely open,” highlighted Andrea Victorin expressing hope that the negotiations will bring a positive outcome.
