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On February 1, the RA NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport held parliamentary hearings on the theme ‘Science as a Pillar of Security and Development.’ There was a key item for discussion: how to develop the science in Armenia and what shall be done for reaching that goal. Scientists, officials, specialists, lecturers and teachers visited the parliament for presenting their viewpoints.

Before turning to the discussion the attendees, by the proposal of the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, in one-minute silence honoured the memory of the deceased in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey against the Republic of Artsakh on 27 September 2020.

Opening the hearings, the Committee Chair Mkhitar Hayrapetyan noted that 44-day war had become a reason for initiating these hearings, which later should promote the elaboration of the policy and strategy in the sphere. According to the speaker, today it is important to make inventory of the all Armenian potential and understand how to use it in the system of the development of the spheres and ensuring security.

“There is no sphere, where it is possible to ensure the development without scientific basis,” he noted adding that the last war showed that there were numerous things to do.

In terms of ensuring security in his speech the RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan highlighted the joint development of the science and education. According to him, the approach by which an attempt is made to separate the higher education is artificial. To the minister’s observation, today there is the most serious problem with respect to human resources’ reproduction: the science cannot develop if there are no qualified human sources, and for that it is necessary to pay special attention to the general education and the higher education, to take practical steps in the sphere of science. There is no competition in the sphere of science, instead the is lack of young scientists, and its reason is the flow of the young human resources to abroad.

The RA Hi-Tech Industry Minister Hakob Arshakyan touched the scientific-technical developments of the world, noting that the scientific-technical and high technologies came to replace the progress of the oil-gas and financial structures. According to him, today the world changes very fast, and the scientific and scientific-technical progress is laid on it. All this results in the abrupt changes of the security systems in the world, and not seeing them can result in tragic consequences. The Minister emphasized the distinct definition of the priorities, the elaboration of the new scale of the science and the strengthening of the potential of the National Academy of Sciences and the right distribution of the resources.

Nowadays, in the wars it is not possible to win, not having modern armament, the Chair of the RA NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security Andranik Kocharyan is convinced. Regarding the modern military technique, particularly, the dictate of having air force, Kocharyan said: “We shall not speak here and go away, our works and ideas shall be distinct and sincere. It is necessary to review the capabilities of the military-industrial complex and turn to science.”

The Deputy Chair of the Committee Hovhannes Hovhannisyan referred to the scientist’s role, considered necessary the essential increase of science financing, the change of the public attitude towards the natural sciences, as chemistry, physics, mathematics and some other subjects. There is also a goal to arise interest among the pupils through TV programmes. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan has informed that the legislative initiative aimed at the regulation of the sphere in the phase of active discussion.

The Chairman of the Scientific Committee Sargis Hayotsyan talked about the financial allocations and statistical day of the scientific sphere.

In their speeches on the theme the participants spoke about the war in 2020 and its consequences, underlined that the development of science is the condition for not repeating the mistakes before and facing the challenges.

The necessity of cooperation in the spheres higher education, defense and economy and formation of favourable environment for technological innovations and the consolidation of scientific and financial resources was stressed.

It is necessary to focus the efforts in solving more modern problems for the scientific technical progress of the country, uniting the intellectual forces.

Indicating the lack of certain branches in the IT sphere and the facts of seven fold decreasing of the number of scientific employees in Armenia, proposals sounded to restore the powerful science before and affirming it as priority by law.

Referring to the theme of modernizing the higher educational system, the item of revising the science financing and ensuring the necessary legislative amendments was underlined.

At the end of the meeting, the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Mkhitar Hayrapetyan expressed readiness to organize meetings in the framework of the Sub-Committee on Science and Education adjunct to the Committee and discuss the problems presented during the hearings.

By the way, for the first time in the history of the NA hearings the representatives of Diaspora were given an opportunity to give speeches through video recordings, and by that highlighting the close cooperation with the Diaspora Armenian scientists.