According to the amendments made to the Law "On General Education," it is envisioned that from September 1, 2026, general education institutions under regional subordination, and from September 1, 2027, schools under the subordination of the Yerevan Municipality, will operate under the subordination of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (ESCS).

To ensure the coordinated implementation of this change in subordination and the uninterrupted continuity of the educational process, the ESCS has launched a series of regional consultations. The first meetings took place today in the Kotayk and Gegharkunik regions.

The consultations were led by Deputy Minister of ESCS Araksia Svajyan. The meeting was attended by Tamara Sargsyan, Head of the General Education Department, as well as heads of regional education departments of Kotayk and Gegharkunik, school principals, coordinators of administrative and economic affairs, and other stakeholders.

The key agenda item was the upcoming school subordination change starting in September, as well as the transfer of administrative and economic functions to the regions.

During the consultations, Deputy Minister Araksia Svajyan presented the implementation phases, timeline, and upcoming tasks regarding the school subordination change. Introducing this management system reform, she noted that under the amendment to the Law "On General Education," starting this September, the function of coordinating the content-related management of regional schools will be reserved for the ESCS, while the administrative and economic functions will be fully transferred to the regional governorates.

According to the Deputy Minister, the principal selection procedure remains unchanged: candidates will submit a development plan, which will undergo an expert evaluation. Upon receiving a positive conclusion, an interview will be scheduled, resulting in the appointment. The selection of school administrative and economic coordinators, including those for high schools, will henceforth be carried out by regional governorates.

"The purpose of this change is to ensure unified, equal, and minimum standards in all schools. We plan to implement unified, centralized management in phases; communities will step-by-step begin to play a more active role," said Araksia Svajyan.

She also informed that considering the increasing volume of work, the institution of regional coordinators will be introduced within the Ministry. Accordingly, regional coordinators will maintain active contact with schools, conducting regular visits to familiarize themselves with the situation and existing issues on the ground.

Key Discussion Topics

During the consultation, the following topics were simultaneously discussed:

• The specifics of transferring functions;
• Envisioned changes in funding and digitalization systems;
• The procedure for appointing principals and administrative-economic coordinators, and the procedure for notifying principals regarding the change of employer;
• Procedures for re-signing employment contracts;
• Legal procedures for renaming schools and amending school statutes;
• A number of issues regarding the submission of applications on administrative-economic and content-related matters.

Deputy Minister Araksia Svajyan addressed the questions raised by the participants, provided the necessary clarifications, and emphasized that the purpose of these consultations is to ensure a unified and coordinated implementation of the subordination change, to foresee and provide targeted solutions to potential organizational challenges, and to strengthen effective cooperation among the Ministry, regional governorates, and general education institutions. To properly organize the educational process for the new academic year and to ensure awareness regarding these changes, the July consultations will continue in all other regions of the republic. The traditionally held August consultations are also scheduled within the defined timeframe.