The theme of “Aravot” online on the air is discussed between Armanush Mirzoyan, Director of Ararat Gharibyan School No. 143, and Artak Poghosyan, Director of the National Center for Educational Technologies.
Aram Abrahamyan – The structure of schools and universities became complicated. The school is divided into basic and high schools, and the universities – Bachelor and Master. Did it improve the quality of our education?
Armanush Mirzoyan – In my opinion, of course, the quality is improved, children visualize their future in professional orientation more correctly.
A.A. – Do you agree with it?
Artak Pogosyan – The mechanism, which now underlies in the educational system, is an integral part of the All-European system, which has been also implied in Armenia.
A.A.– Is it the Bologna?
A.P. – The Bologna process is associated with the university system, which, of course, includes the “BA – MA” separation, but I must say that the society still does not have a clear understanding of the system and the reform process. It comes from the fact that the reforms naturally are new, and it needs time for the society to understand it completely. Seven years is still not enough to be able to fully evaluate the results. The fact is that according to some estimations, the quality as such is bad, whereas by some estimations it is good, but the international academic institutions who score the education systems in different countries, show that Armenia has adopted the right path, and it implements the reforms in a true way.
A.A. – Don’t you meet parents who say that the high school was a useless thing, and the ten-year education of Soviet times was good enough?
A.M. – Of course, such parents a many, they expect that perhaps it would be better if we go back, and make things move as previously. But, of course, we explain that this system adopted in the whole world is more to the benefit of the children.
A.A.- What is the benefit?
A.M. – The child studies the direction that he chooses in the high school more fundamentally. The curriculum is more flexible and more precise.
A.A. – Isn’t the high school the same high-grade classrooms that existed in the communists times? Isn’t the Master’s degree the same curriculum, which actually they studied for already 4 years and still have to repeat for another 2 years?
A.P. – I think not. Let’s separate: the Soviet education system was working for the Soviet economy. There was an economic system, and, naturally, the educational system was preparing a man-citizen, and later, a narrow specialist, specifically for given economy. Currently, we have another economic system and the education system should also prepare professionals to work and be reproduced in these economic realities.
A.A. – What are our economic realities?
A.P. – Free market relations, prevalence of private industry in economic sector where professionals should work. Central planned economy no longer exists, in other words, the state does not decide how much product should be produced and what professional are needed, the market itself decides. Hence, we need to have a different education system, and the model that is adopted in Armenia, I think is the one taking to this system.
A.A. – In other words, the 12th grade graduates currently has more fundamental, more versatile, and more specialized knowledge than the 10th grade graduates some 10 years ago.
A.M. – If a child is intended to learn and is disposed to continue and nothing from the side obstacles him, then, yes, and a larger part of them has better knowledge.
Prepared by ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
“Face to Face” talk show series are released by the Open Society Foundations- Armenia. The views and analyzes found in this broadcast express the opinions of the participants, and are not approved by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, or its Board. This broadcast is made available thanks to comprehensive financial support by the Open Society Foundations-Armenia, under the mass media support program, grant No 18624.
