National education important for Armenia regardless of EEU integration processes – minister

The past years’ educational reforms, which saw a switchover to the 12-year secondary school system and the gradual implementation of the Bologna process, are irreversible developments whose success Armenia is ready to share with other member states of the Eurasian Economic Union, says the minister of education and science.

In an interview with Tert.am, Armen Ashotyan expressed hope that the country’s past experience with different European educational projects will be also of interest to the EEU member countries.

“Armenia is very active in the European education area, and it is very active in the education projects with the EU too. It is important to note that Armenia is a member of such projects as Erasmus plus and Horizon 20/20. So I think education is the platform – especially for Armenia – which may be of interest to the EEU member states too, because we have studied well and adopted the European experience which is, nonetheless, progressive and effective. But we of course bring it in conformity with our own economic and national requirements. Within the frameworks of the EEU, Armenia is ready to propose different initiatives – different common education projects – which must not conflict with the educational framework adopted earlier,” he said expressing belief that the educational projects and proposals would be compatible with the common European framework.

Asked whether the requirement for uniform educational standards will necessitate courses in the different member states’ history in the national curricula, the minister said he treats such a possibility in the positive light.

“Armenia has its own state standards of general education; we, like every other country, decide ourselves the content of our education. As for the higher educational standards, the European education system has developed such a concept as the national framework of qualifications which, depending on the corresponding levels, defines the knowledge, skills, abilities and set of values that a person with the given graduation document or qualification attesting a specific level of education is required to have.

“As regards the ‘textbooks about one another’, I think we would definitely benefit from that if there were such a project. If, for example, the classes of history provided extra information about Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, then the same kind of information about Armenia would be available in a country of 140 million like Russia or in Belarus and Kazakhstan [whose population is] 10 million. Would classes on the Armenian Genocide be bad for such a [big] audience of several millions? Hence we are ready to discuss any education initiative which will not run counter the mainstream of Armenia’s education reforms. And that will help ensure quality education services, facilitated recognition of diplomas etc,” the minister explained.