This Article in
Armenian

The Organization of the United Nations has with a team of local and foreign experts developed a report entitled “Educational Reforms in Armenia.” The report expresses grave concerns and while reading you get surprised as to what has happened to the Caucasian tiger. Is it in no mood for new jumps, has it no time for that or, which is the most painful, has it no power to jump? I remember a joke from the Soviet years: “Is it true that capitalism is on the edge of an abyss? Yes, and it is watching how socialism is wallowing in its bottom.” Perhaps our tiger had also been jumping up from the bottom of an abyss.

Before presenting the concerns in the educational area, let us note that the UN is apparently the only international structure that does not pursue any political issues or interests in Armenia and therefore has no reason for portraying everything in black colors. And the more so, given that the report includes positive conclusions as well. All the more so as the UN experts have founded their conclusions and inferences on the data of Armenia’s state, official National Statistics Service.

Article 39 of the RA Constitution stipulates that every one is entitled to education, and the state provides for a free secondary education, as well as financially supports the higher and vocational education. The RA Law on Education clearly defines that “general education programs are aimed at an individual’s all-round development, creation of foundations for mastering and selection of professional programs in accordance with one’s preferences, inclinations and abilities” And according to the UN experts’ findings “in Armenia it is not the learner’s individual virtues and achievements, but the social status of his or her parents that is very often evaluated. Thus, the justice principle is being flouted, as a result of which trust towards the educational establishment is being diminished. One of the concerns is that the educational process provides for few opportunities for self-expression and self-realization of students.”

The UN experts admit that the society of the Republic of Armenia is not as closed as that of the Armenian Soviet Republic. Yet at the same time they record that inferior quality culture that is easily digestible and does not require major efforts enjoys wide popularity, “the inferior quality values penetrate the educational system and become almost incompatible with ideal values advocated through educational content. The child does not adhere to the behest of being honest when he or she sees how dishonesty brings success to people in real life. Our educational system continues to function with the logic of closed society, advocating values which are not so convincing and attractive for students.

The UN experts’ conclusions regarding the higher education field are not comforting either. To put it mildly. “Under the system of paid education the higher educational institutions are guided by the principle “the more students, the more money” without taking into account the problem of subsequent job availability in the labor market.” One example - as compared to 2001 the number of teachers at schools has decreased by 20 000 (twenty thousand), whereas the number of admissions to public teachers’ training higher educational institutions has increased. Taking this into consideration the authors of the report “Educational Reforms in Armenia” state that admission levels are not compatible with the labor market demands. After examining the policies towards beginner teachers, those who received pedagogical education, they conclude “with respect to beginner teachers Armenia acts in accordance with the principle “swim or get drowned”. A beginner teacher is largely on his/her own in trying to overcome inevitable difficulties and obstacles of the beginning period.”

The UN experts present numerous concerns in their 130-page report. These include the following: the school councils are formal, the so called educational quality is mere words, as a result of widespread private tutors’ services the situation is such that the improvement of school education can deprive the teacher of additional incomes, in 1992 the state appropriated 7.2% of GDP for education, whereas in 2006 just 3.23%; the number of children left out of the school system due to the lack of desire to study has been on increase: 1,531 cases in 2003, and more than four times more in 2006 – 6,482.

After all this there is one thing I understood very well. Is it worth being surprised as to why Armenia’s President’s prize is with a spelling mistake?