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The RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport revised a legislative package, which designs large-scale amendments on Vocational Education and Training, on Education and a number of enclosed laws. Parliamentary hearings were organized in parliament regarding the issue.

The sphere of Vocational Education and Training (VET) is compiled with international criteria, beginning from the definition of notions. The educational institutions functioning in the sphere are unified: As the college remains the only kind of the institutions functioning in the sphere. The vocational and secondary professional educational programmes. The RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan noted, presenting the main regulations at the NA regular sitting. The training based on work is institutionally introduced in the sphere, and it becomes a main form of organizing education. The legislation regulates not only the forms of training based on work, but also describes the structure, distinguishing the coordinating body of dual education, as well as the functions of the structures of different institutions in a new organizational structure. “It is important that we describe the logic of the social partnership in a new way and with new quality in the sphere, underlining the new formats of interaction with private organizations,” the Minister stressed and added that the structure of the educational programmes is reviewed. The credit system will operate in the sphere. The management system is completely changed: It will be participatory, transparent and accountable system. A demand of necessity of development programmes is laid for the directors. The licensing process is reviewed in the sphere: two-degree system is envisaged, where both the activity permission and the implementation of the educational programmes will be subject to licensing.

The financing system of transformed: the financing mechanism for one student is on its basis, which will boost the completion between the institutions, promoting the rise of the education quality. The financing through scholarship will become the main form of financing for the students.

Zhanna Andreasyan informed that an inter-connected system of vocational development and payment. From this year the voluntary attestation system will function: the possibility of encouragement with the same format will function, the rate becoming 200.000 AMD, and adding 30%-50% surcharge to it. The rights and duties of the students and listeners are completely reviewed. “In the system we are going to ensure the complete inclusiveness,” the Minister documented.

In the Q&A session Zhanna Andreasyan touched upon the issue of renaming the subject Armenian History into History of Armenia, which is widely discussed on public platform. According to the Minister, the name of the subject is not at all a problem of professional domain. According to her, we live in the Republic of Armenia and in schools of the Republic of Armenia the History of Armenia should be taught. “This absolutely does not mean that the content that is part of our history will be left out of the subject naming it History of Armenia. The content is the same irrespective of names. The name is the methodological viewpoint, with which we approach the study of history,” Zhanna Andreasyan expressed this opinion.

During Q&A session reference was also made to the authorities of the director of the higher educational institution and the definition of stricter demands within the scope of their termination, the accessibility of vocational education in marzes, of the dormitory infrastructures being provided to the students.

The Deputy Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Taguhi Ghazaryan presented the endorsement of the Committee. According to her, the package of reforms coincides with the strategy of the education development until 2030. She said that it is evident that there is need of institutional reforms for filling the gap between the labor market and young unemployed citizens, and one of them is this important initiative.

In their speeches the MPs referred to the equal distribution of the VET, spoke about the importance of motivating the social partnership. They were interested in legal status of colleges, the problem of specialties with a tendency of elimination, the peculiarities of dual education, the property and textbooks of the VET. Opinions were also sounded about the expediency of renaming the subject Armenian History into History of Armenia.

Reversing the deputy Artur Khachatryan, the NA Vice President Ruben Rubinyan underscored: “You say that you oppose the people to the state” You are opposing. In our opinion, the Armenian people or the people of Armenian and Armenia are inseparable. There will not be the people’s interest, which is separable from the interest of Armenia. There may not be also interest of Armenia, which is separable from the Armenian people’s interest. What is the problem?”

Following Ruben Rubinyan, on behalf of the Armenia Faction Artur Khachatryan continued insisting that the motivation of the ruling political force is to oppose the state, the homeland, the nation and the people.

In their final speeches, Taguhi Ghazaryan and Zhanna Andreasyan related to the MPs’ concerns and the problems of the sphere.