The proposals of the Armenian side were unanimously accepted at the 24th session of the Council of Europe Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and included in its final document. They concern carrying out research by proper Council of Europe sub-committees and institutions and dealing with the future of the right to education of the people who live in Europe, but are beyond the borders of the member states of the Council of Europe. The final document of the conference asserted the political will of the member states of the Council of Europe to improve the quality of education and ensure high-quality education, aiming at preventing any discrimination against people who are out of the process, since the latter have the same right to education as the ministers present in the conference hall. Armen Ashotyan, the acting Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, told about this during a conversation with www.aravot.am. Let us note that the NKR is such a state. Let us remind that the 24th session of the Council of Europe Standing Conference of Ministers of Education, which Armen Ashotyan, the acting Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, also participated in, commenced in the capital of Finland, Helsinki, the other day. The conference has finished its work today. Armen Ashotyan, the acting Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, as one of the main speakers at the conference, first spoke about the quality of education, corruption risks in the field of education, and issues of education management in his speech. Then in his second speech, Armen Ashotyan spoke about the reasons for including the proposals of the Armenian side in the final document of the conference. Ashotyan said: “The right to education is one of the fundamental human rights, and it is provided for by laws and various international conventions on human rights. That right concerns real people, citizens and not states, and that right is guaranteed by the international community and the European community. The presence of ‘black spots’ in the educational space of Europe doesn’t do credit to the Council of Europe. I don’t politicize the issue at all, although I am not only the Minister of Education, but also a politician. I raise the issue, being concerned about the fates of those hundreds of thousands of people who live in Europe, but are not represented by the member states of the Council of Europe.” Ashotyan also mentioned that all documents regarding education without discrimination concern all citizens regardless of their place of residence. Let us add that the right to education suggests mutual recognition of academic qualifications, getting high-quality education, involvement in international educational projects, equal rights and opportunities.
Nelly GRIGORYAN
