Armenian educational reforms in line with tempus program

YEREVAN, April 18. /ARKA/. Armenia’s higher educational reforms are based on the TEMPUS program, RA Minister for Education Levon Mkrtchyan reported.

Armenia adopted the European Commission’s (EC) TEMPUS higher educational program in 1995. As part of the program, 26 large-scale projects at EUR 4.7mln have been carried out in the country since 2005. In tote, 92 education projects have been completed within the program in Armenia.

The Minister for Education believes TEMPUS will help totally reform the higher education system in Armenia.

In his turn, Head of the EC Delegation to Armenia Raul de Lutzenberger assured Mkrtchyan that the European Union will assist Armenia in the implementation of the program.

He pointed out that among EU commitments to Armenia is to help the country enter the European market. The EC Delegation head believes international quality certificates given to Armenian universities and institutes can help establish an integrated education field and promote student exchange programs.

According to YSU (Yerevan State University) Rector Aram Simonyan, Armenia has been actively cooperating with European educational institutions within the program. Thanks to TEMPUS, the country’s three-stage education system is developing at a rapid paste, he said. Simonyan pointed out that the credit system is also being implemented in Armenia. The YSU Faculty of Social Work, which has been established within TEMPUS, can serve an example for the region, according to the rector.

The European Council will annually allocate EUR 1mln for the implementation of the Tempus-4 Program (2008-2013) in Armenia. Z. Sh. –0--