Thursday, September 1 2022 13:11

ArmInfo.A university certificate that does not make a graduate competitive on the market  is worth nothing, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated at a  Cabinet meeting on Thursday as he announced a merger of higher  schools. 

"I am sure that successful implementation of the programme will  guarantee our future," the premier said. 

At present, tens of thousands of Armenian children cannot receive  high-quality preschool, secondary and higher education. As a result,  statements on the lack of highly skilled labor force are more and  more frequent in Armenia. 

Higher education standards are not actually in force in Armenia. 

"Many of Armenia's higher schools are in agony. A university  certificate does not always mean higher education. More and more  frequently we are hearing complaints that even people with two higher  education certificates cannot find jobs and live in poverty," the  premier aid, adding this situation is a time-bomb for thee country's  future. 

Under a large-scale reform programme proposed by Armenia's  government, 300 schools and 500 kindergartens until 2026. "The  implementation of the programme will enable even children from remote  settlements to attend high-quality kindergarten and schools, which  could be a key factor in rural revival," Mr Pashinyan said. 

The government also launched a process of raising educationists'  salaries, and certification procedures once in five years will allow  teachers' salaries to be raised 3-fold. 

As regards higher schools, 40% of seats in Armenia's  government-funded higher schools remained vacant after this year's  entrance examinations. 

The government plans merger of higher schools by integrating them  with a number of research centers. As a result, only eight  government-funded higher schools will work in Armenia, with  international education and R & D standards ensured for them. 

"In Armenia, only organizations meeting the government-set standards  can be considered higher schools. In many case, we have higher  schools that have nothing except for their names, which is  unacceptable," Mr Pashinyan said.