Aravot.am asked education expert Samvel Karabekyan for an opinion regarding the educational and scientific sector of Karen Karapetyan’s government program. “Many items related to the education sector in the government presented program reflect the problems long ago matured in the sector, which were not only remained unresolved over years but also were not addressed at all, although the expertise circles, non-governmental organizations and political forces are periodically drawing the government’s attention to these issues. For example, the program by the Armenian National Congress includes the substitution of the state-sponsored financing with earmarked and scholarship funding, also it suggests to create inviolable funds. The clauses of the Government program on this and several other issues can be considered progressive,” – mentioned Mr. Karabekyan.
Education expert also added, “At the same time, many of the program clauses are only of a declarative nature. However, the biggest fear, as always, the ambiguity of the process of creating mechanisms envisaged by the program clauses; their effectiveness largely depends on to what extent the formed mechanisms will be developed by the involvement of the broad professional community. It is obvious that if the documents elaborated by the narrow circles of the functionaries lay on the basis of them as usual, the participatory discussion of all interested parties and above all, those who will then use these mechanisms in their immediate, starting from school teachers and university professors, are not provided, then all these clauses will remain on the paper.
The Government’s primary task is the formation of this kind of participatory culture. The main problem of Armenia’s educational sector is the ineffective management and political control, almost the lack of academic freedoms, and lack of professional and social protectiveness of tutors, which, in turn, leads to a passive position in raising professional and academic problems. The Government should be able to change this environment, at that time, all the necessary steps that are expressed in the submitted program as well as many other problems that are not reflected there will find a solution. Eventually, the problems facing Armenia in all sectors are so visible that it is necessary just to have will and formation of relevant environment to solve them effectively.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
