Armenian government earmarks 60 million drams as assistance for students from vulnerable families

YEREVAN, November 2. / ARKA /. The Armenian government has earmarked 60 million drams for the next year to pay the tuition fees of students with high academic credentials from socially disadvantaged families. The money will be available through the Armenian Youth Foundation.

"The idea is that the students themselves sel ect the eligible peers by using a set of objective criteria... The government supports this program and allocates part of the money from the state budget ", prime minister Tigran Sargsyan said at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation.

As part of the program 750 first and second-year students from government-run universities from socially disadvantaged families with high academic credentials received scholarships from the Youth Foundation of Armenia in 2011. The competition for scholarships drew over 1,800 applications - 100 were first-year students, and 1700 second-year students.

This program calls also for assistance to ethnic Armenian students fr om Syria. The assistance amount is 40 million drams. It will be available through the ministries of Diaspora and education and science. 

The prime minister said the annual Baze pan-Armenian youth gathering will be held in 2013 as well. 

He said the format of the event should be revised because in its current form it causes the public’s dissatisfaction. 

The prime minister also said all the projects and programs of the Foundation should be transparent and accessible to the Armenian society. The meeting approved the new structure of the Foundation, its budget and staff for 2013. 

Karen Avagyan, the coordinator of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, said its next year’s projects will embrace scientific and educational spheres, cultural and patriotic education of youth, international and pan-Armenian cooperation. Special attention will be given to the disabled and socially vulnerable young people.  -0-