UWC Dilijan College, the first international school of UWC network in Eastern Europe, has opened in Dilijan, Armenia, today. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and his Serbian opposite number Tomislav Nikolic, who is on a visit to Armenia these days, as well as NKR President Bakpo Sahakyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, partners-founders of the college, as well as thousands of guests were present at the opening ceremony, ArmInfo's correspondent reports from Dilijan.
UWC Dilijan College is a large-scale charitable initiative. The spending of construction of the school exclusively of charitable funds reached $115 million as of the opening day.
The second phase of the construction will cost about $75 million.
Additional funds under the Project (for acquisition of land, architectural and engineering work, development of infrastructures) are estimated at about $30 million for the entire period. The operational budget of the school for the coming 5 years amounts to $8 million per year in average. The operational budget will be replenished from the endowment fund management and scholarship fund. By 2023 the College with its current 96 students from nearly 50 countries will operate at full capacity and the number of students will increased to 650 people. The teaching staff will exceed 60 people. The IB Diploma is taught at all UWC schools and colleges, including UWC Dilijan College. The lessons are delivered in English. There are 10 students from Armenia at UWC Dilijan College.
UWC Dilijan is the joint project of philanthropists Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend and their partners. UWC Dilijan became the first college in the post-Soviet area to join the UWC network. Talking to reporters, Ruben Vardanyan said the project is important not only to Armenia. He hopes the school will become an expample of new world standards in the field of education. Vardanyan said and thanked everyone who believed in the success of the project.
The construction of the school is being supported by the government of Armenia and personally by President Serzh Sargsyan. UWC Dilijan was built according to the designs of a leading London architecture bureau - Tim Flynn Architects. The UWC Dilijan admission criteria are available on http://www.am.uwc.org/.