Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Armen Ashotyan Dwells On Educational Priorities
“The Ministry of Education and Science will push ahead with the ongoing educational reform in 2014,” Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan told the news conference, which was held today in the Government Press Center.
According to him, the reform encompasses everything from general education to higher education. “The testing of textbooks will be continued into the new year. A new system was introduced last year whereby tutorials are first tested during a year in approximately 80 schools to get the parents’ and teachers’ assessment, on the basis of which the authors finalize the tutorials. Only after that the textbooks are approved for use in schools. This mechanism made it possible to sharply reduce the number of inaccuracies and improve the quality of textbooks. This year we will modify the rating system of general education schools,” Ashotyan said.
The program of first-graders will be continued throughout the current year. The Minister reminded that the first Armenian tablet was released in 2013, noting that starting September 1, 2015, first graders will receive such tablets furnished with coordinating educational programs.
The Minister advised that a pilot program of teaching ethnic songs and dances will be implemented in a number of schools in 2014. The refurbishment process will be continued in secondary and primary educational institutions. In the meantime, Armenia will continue to honor the commitments assumed under the Bologna program.
According to the Minister, this refers to the continued implementation of national qualification framework that can ensure that Armenian diplomas will be fully recognized in European countries.
