100 ARMENIAN STUDENTS TO RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS FROM MOSCOW-BASED EDUCATION FUND

YEREVAN, August 31. /ARKA/. One hundred fourth year students of 13 higher schools of Yerevan will receive personal scholarships “Friendship” from the Moscow-based Education Fund. The annual scholarship amount is $120mln.

RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan reported that the monthly scholarship, $100, will be granted to straight A students from socially vulnerable families.

“This is a social initiative, which will allow students from socially vulnerable families to pay tuition fees and live their life of students,” he said.

According to Mkrtchyan, it is no coincidence that fourth-year students have been selected. “The scholarship will be granted to the high achievers wishing to continue their education by attending MA or post-graduate courses,” he said.

The Minister pointed out that the scholarship holders will be selected by each individual higher school on the basis of their marks, recommendations made by the students’ councils, as well as the social status of each applicant.

“If a student fails to continue a high achiever during one academic year, he will be deprived of his scholarship, and it will be granted to another student, who will meet the requirements set by the founders of the Education Fund,” Mkrtchyan said.

In his turn, the Co-Founder of the Fund, Director General of the “Roskomnedvizhimost” Company Hrant Poghosyan said that the scholarship holders are to receive certificates on October 12, 2007, when all the 13 higher schools have submitted all the necessary documents and lists to the Fund.

“I hope that, despite the small amount of the `Friendship’ scholarships, our initiative will encourage the wish for getting a higher education and the increase in the number of highly qualified specialists in the country,” he said.

Poghosyan added that he is not going to stop at what has been achieved.

“We plan to increase the annual scholarship amount to $200-$300ths and want to implement charity programs in the scientific sphere,” he said.

Among the holders of the Fund-granted scholarships will be 15 students of Yerevan State University, 15 students of State Engineering University of Armenia, 11 students of State Economic Institute of Armenia. Yerevan State Conservatoire, Yerevan State Medical University and Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University will nominate eight students each. Yerevan State Linguistic University, Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction, Armenian State Teachers’ Training Institute, Yerevan State Agrarian University, Yerevan State Academy of Arts, Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema and Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture will nominate five students each.

The idea of establishing the Fund was suggested in 2004. Alexander Ter-Avanesov, a member of the Council of Federation, RF Federal Assembly, is the second co-founder of the Education Fund. P.T. –0--