Education minister dissatisfied with effectiveness of anti-corruption measures

Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan finds that his ministry's efforts to fight corruption did not prove effective enough in 2010.

"I am dissatisfied with the effectiveness of measures aimed at combating corruption. I think we could have done more," he told a news conference Monday.

He said the ministry had implemented strict licensing procedures, suspending licenses to 25 educational institutions. "The process will continue in 2011, and the ministry will closely follow that minimum requirements to ensure proper quality of education are met," the minister added.

Speaking of positive achievements, Ashotyan said serious work had been done to strengthen the ministry's ties with the society.

"The outgoing year was full of dynamic changes, active work and developments," he said, adding that the education sector had been in both the society's and the authorities' spotlight in 2010.

The minister further spoke of the situation with educational institutions. He said 41 pre-school institutions have been opened, and the procedures for retraining and certifying school principals have been approved. As a principal step towards enhancing the public education system, the minister particularly focused on the recently approved procedures of attesting teachers, which will help distinguish good teachers from the bad ones.

Ashotyan also dwelled on university entry examinations.

"All the universities regardless of their form of ownership must admit students through joint entry examinations," he said.

The minister also said interstate agreements on student exchange have enabled 220 Armenian students to study in foreign universities, and some 420 students from foreign countries have been admitted to universities in Armenia.

"Some 50,000 text-books were printed for the Diaspora, and they all were delivered to the destination countries. What's even more, we have managed to provide books to the Armenian schools in Javakhk," Ashotyan added.