RA Deputy Ministers of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Anna Babajanyan and Kristina Tataryan received today Inga Afanasyeva, the World Bank’s Education Program Lead.
The Deputy Ministers welcomed the guests and highlighted the World Bank’s partnership and support for ongoing education reforms in Armenia.
The meeting focused on the priorities and vision set out in the new Government Program in the context of ongoing reforms in the education sector, the sector’s key challenges and opportunities, as well as the scope of cooperation with the World Bank.
Presenting the Government’s priorities in general education, Deputy Minister Anna Babajanyan noted that the current phase of the program to construct, reconstruct and renovate 300 schools and 500 preschool institutions is expected to be completed by the end of the year. At the same time, the new Government Program envisages launching a new phase of the work, in which the World Bank could again provide partnership support.
It was noted that one of the key steps envisaged under the new Government Program is the development of a separate Law on “The Status of Teachers”, which intends to clearly establish both the role and status of teachers and guarantees of their social protection.
A reference was made to the improvements to the teacher certification and continuous professional development systems, an analysis of the results of the PISA international assessment, and the effective use of in-depth data analysis in advancing sectoral reforms and developing subsequent policies.
The meeting also addressed the establishment of modern laboratories equipped with science and engineering equipment in schools, the establishment of preschools and the improvement of preschool education programs with the support of the World Bank.
The World Bank representatives expressed their commitment to continue supporting the education reforms currently underway in Armenia. The parties agreed to continue their professional dialogue with a view to further cooperation around the educational priorities of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.