Published since 07.2002
Published on April 25, 2008
LEARNING CURVE: NKR FACING EDUCATION VS. STATE NEEDS
- Approval of the list of scholarships available at Artsakh State University (the state subsidizes tuition fees) was a subject of active discussion during the last session of NKR Government. And despite the heated debates the list was still not approved. The list provided 250 scholarship opportunities. On the whole the estimated number of students to be enrolled in Artshakh State University (ASU) this year is 1,050. The Minister of Education and Sciences Vladik Khachatryan insists that it’s important for the list to be approved on time to give people time to make up their minds. However, Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan stressed that the proposed list did not meet the state needs, that an insufficient number of places is given to agriculture, engineering, and that too much is allocated to foreign languages and law. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, Karabakh has 2,000 school graduates every year. Half of them enter the Artsakh State University, 450-500 enter private institutes, and around 300 enter specialized schools/colleges. As a result, 90 percent of school graduates continue their education. Meanwhile, only 30-35 percent of 42,000 wage workers in the country need higher or high (secondary school) education. “So what do we have here? We are providing higher education students who after graduation will be unemployed,” says the Prime Minister. “Our higher educational system absolutely does not meet the state needs. We have to open a branch of the Armenian Agricultural Academy here (there is a preliminary agreement on that) and close the department of agriculture at the ASU. We need to replace it with one for power engineering and hydro engineering specialists.” Narine Karapetyan’s son is finishing school this May. Karapetyan, like many other parents, complains of the approval to be too late: “What shall parents of school graduates who have already applied to take entering exams counting on a certain place at the university do? Such matters have to be solved much earlier than April when all parents have already decided where to apply.” According to the agreement between the Ministries of Education of Armenia and Karabakh, 60 students can get scholarships at state universities of Armenia. As Minister Khachatryan pointed out, the list specifications are drawn based on applications of state departments. In particular, the Ministry of Health Care has applied for 10 places. The state will either completely or partially cover the tuition fees for those professions. Nonetheless, officials themselves have doubts about the practicality of subsidizing certain professions. “Why would Karabakh pay for the education of future lawyers at Armenian universities, if the Artsakh State Univercity only has a few dozen graduates every year?” says the Chairman of NKR NA Committee on Social Issues Arpat Avanesyan. Besides the state university, 8 private universities currently operate in Karabakh, two of which have been given state accreditation. Even so, both in press and public forums unsatisfactory knowledge level of the graduates of not only private but also state educational institutions is in debate. Many people condition it by the fact that students today are mostly children of the war, who weren’t able to get a proper school education. Others think that it is because the authority of an educated person devalued in the post-war period and the image of a “tough guy” became more prestigious. Although a lot depends also on social conditions: not every resident of Karabakh can afford to pay 50,000 AMD ($160) per month to private teachers, and later 120-150 thousand drams ($500-600) annual tuition fee. However, the state compensates the tuition of students of state and private universities and schools in the following cases: children of soldiers who died during the war, orphans, those who have been invalids of 1st and 2nd ranks since childhood, also children of 1st rank invalids of the Artsakh war. According to the Minister, 347 students will be given that privilege. The state budget has allocated 37 million drams ($120 million) for this purpose.
- Naira Hayrumyan
Headlines for April 25, 2008
PUBLIC APPEAL: WOMEN LEAD FIRST RALLY AFTER MARCH 1 CLAMPDOWN ON ASSEMBLY
Sara Khojoyan
Armenia’s opposition on Saturday was allowed to stage their first public rally in weeks – two days after a Council of Europe body released harsh criticism of the country’s authorities for their post-election ...NEW/OLD CABINET: SARGSYAN BRINGS IN SIX NEW NAMES IN 17-MEMBER CABINET
Sara Khojoyan
President Serzh Sargsyan on Monday signed several decrees on appointments of ministers, completing the formation of Armenia’s new government. While most of the ministers retained their portfolios in ...AN APPEAL TO “NEVER FORGET”: A JEWISH LEADER SPEAKS OUT ON THE NEED TO REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Editor’s Note: On April 18, Nancy K. Kaufman, Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (www.jcrcboston.org) appeared before the Massachusetts State House, where she represented ...SPORT: ARMENIAN WEIGHTLIFTERS IN REPEAT EUROPEAN GLORY
Suren Musayelyan
Weightlifting Team Armenia on Tuesday were welcomed home after their heroics in Italy where they had improved on last year’s signal success in the European championships, finishing first among 51 nations. ...HISTORY LESSON: GENOCIDE ISSUE DELICATE DIPLOMACY FOR ISRAELIS
Aris Ghazinyan
In late March the Knesset (parliament) of Israel made a decision to discuss the Armenian Genocide for the first time. Haim Oron, head of the Social-Democratic Human-Rights Defending Left-Liberal Merets ...TAKING OUT THE TRASH: MEGHRI GETS CLEANUP THANKS TO EQUIPMENT AND INITIATIVE
Armine Avagyan
For years the issue of community cleanness and garbage collection has been of great concern in Meghri, as throughout Armenia. But in Armenia’s southernmost city recently the situation has changed considerably. ...INDICTMENT OF A PROCESS AND ITS PROTECTORS: PACE MONITORS’ ACCOUNTS REVEAL THE FRUSTRATION OF SEEING FRAUD AND DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT
Editor’s note: The following commentaries were presented as testimony at last week’s Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) hearings by two CoE election observers who were part of the ...FROM SIERRA VISTA TO VANADZOR: AMERICAN TEACHER SHARES KNOWLEDGE AND GAINS EXPERIENCE IN ARMENIA
Naira Bulghadaryan
American teacher Lisa Adeli says she would return to her homeland greatly impressed with her first visit to Armenia, the “country of her dreams”, as she says. She learned about Armenia from books and ...LEARNING CURVE: NKR FACING EDUCATION VS. STATE NEEDS
Naira HayrumyanApproval of the list of scholarships available at Artsakh State University (the state subsidizes tuition fees) was a subject of active discussion during the last session of NKR Government. And despite ...RESOLVED TO FIGHT? NA DEBATES FOCUS ON A TOUGHER NKR POSITION
Gayane Abrahamyan
The National Assembly of Armenia suggests that the country hardens its stand on the Karabakh issue by changing the course of its foreign policy, “being more preemptive and not just respond to the militaristic ...THE PRICE OF PROGRESS: EARLY MOVEMENT AT TOP REACHES BOTTOM LIKE A BULLET IN COST OF DEMOCRATIZATION
John Hughes
Strange days indeed Most peculiar. Mama. John Lennon – Nobody Told Me This is not going to be easy for President Serzh Sargysan. He procured a presidency by manipulating ...STERN START: PM PROMISES TO LEAN ON MINISTERS/CREATE PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT DECISIONS
Marianna Grigoryan
While authorities are making promises to the international community to weaken internal political tension and remain committed to their obligations to the Council of Europe, the newly formed government ...FAILED PROMISE, AGAIN: GENOCIDE RECOGNITION REMAINS CAMPAIGN SLOGAN FOR US POLITICIANS
In 2000, then presidential candidate Governor George W. Bush stated that if elected President, he would properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. In his pledge, Bush stated that "the Armenians were subjected ...CUSTOM OF CHEATING: AVERAGE TRADERS SUFFER FROM CRACKDOWN ON IMPORT TARIFFS
Gayane Mkrtchyan
Traders and merchants from Yerevan markets staged a protest action near the government building early this week expressing their discontent with having to pay more at customs for imported goods. “The ...WORKING TO FIND WORK: NEW TREND OF JOB FAIRS TRIES TO CONNECT PROFESSIONS AND PROFESSIONALS
Sara Khojoyan
A recent Yerevan job fair drew more than 1,000 young professionals, eager to turn their education into livelihood. Organized by the Center of Alumni and Career of the Yerevan State University (YSU) ...
Similar headlines for (last 7 days) new!
“STATE OF ARMENIA”: PRESIDENT SARGSYAN IN FIRST ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT AND NATION
Suren MusayelyanNEW SPEAKER, OLD SYSTEM: ABRAHAMYAN STEPS INTO SECOND-HIGHEST POST AMID DISCONTENT ABOUT THE PROCESS
Gayane Mkrtchyan
Most read news (last 7 days)
NEW/OLD CABINET: SARGSYAN BRINGS IN SIX NEW NAMES IN 17-MEMBER CABINET
Sara KhojoyanCOST-CUTTING START: GOVERNMENT SET TO ABOLISH SUBSIDY ON RUSSIAN GAS, PRICES TO INCREASE FOR CONSUMERS
Gayane MkrtchyanIN REVIEW: COUNCIL OF EUROPE BODY DELIBERATES OVER ARMENIA’S STATUS
Gayane MkrtchyanSPORT: ARMENIAN WEIGHTLIFTERS IN REPEAT EUROPEAN GLORY
Suren MusayelyanFROM SIERRA VISTA TO VANADZOR: AMERICAN TEACHER SHARES KNOWLEDGE AND GAINS EXPERIENCE IN ARMENIA
Naira BulghadaryanREALIZED DREAM: DIASPORA ARMENIAN FOUND HIS TRUE HOME IN GORIS
Armine Avagyan
AN APPEAL TO “NEVER FORGET”: A JEWISH LEADER SPEAKS OUT ON THE NEED TO REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
NEW PRESIDENT APPOINTS TWO KEY MINISTERS
WORKING TO FIND WORK: NEW TREND OF JOB FAIRS TRIES TO CONNECT PROFESSIONS AND PROFESSIONALS
Sara KhojoyanCUSTOM OF CHEATING: AVERAGE TRADERS SUFFER FROM CRACKDOWN ON IMPORT TARIFFS
Gayane Mkrtchyan
© AUA
Today in Armenian history- 1828 Griboedov is appointed Russian ambassador in Persia.
- 1888 Death of novelist Raffi (Hakob Melik-Hakobyan) in Tbilissi (Georgia). He was born in 1835.
- 1918 The Turkish army re-occupies Ghars (Western Armenia).
- 1918 Stepan Shahoomyan creates and leads the Council of People's Commissars in Baku.
- 1959 Death of painter Hakob Kodjoyan. He was born in 1883.
- 1990 The Greek Parliament approves a law designating April 24 as Remembrance Day of the Armenian victims of the Genocide perpetrated by Turkey.
Forum most active discussions
ARMENIAN NEWS
INTERACTIVE NEWS
INFORMATION
MY ARMTOWN
How to quit smoking?
How to write in Armenian on Windows XP?
All materials published on this website are taken from open sources and are copyrighted by their respective owners. You cannot reproduce or copy any materials published on armtown.com without written consent of original copyright holder. If you want to remove any material, please send us an email with proof of ownership/copyright and your material will be removed immediately. All materials published for information purposes only.