
ArmInfo. On September 17, Deputy Ministers of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Armenia Anna Babajanyan and Kristina Tataryan met with Inga Afanaseva, World Bank Education Program Officer.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, the Deputy Ministers welcomed the guests, emphasizing the importance of the World Bank's partnership support for reforms in the education sector of the Republic of Armenia.
During the meeting, the priorities and vision of the new program of the Armenian government in the context of ongoing reforms in the education sector, the main challenges and opportunities of the sector, as well as areas of cooperation with the World Bank were discussed.
Presenting the government's priorities in general education, Deputy Minister Anna Babajanyan announced that the current stage of the program for the construction, reconstruction, and modernization of 300 schools and 500 preschools will be completed by the end of the year. In parallel, the government's new program envisages the launch of a new phase of work, in which the World Bank can also provide partner support.
It was noted that one of the important steps envisaged by the new government program is the development of a separate law "On the Status of Teachers," designed to more clearly define both the role and status of teachers and guarantees of social protection.
Improving teacher certification and continuous professional development systems, analyzing the results of the international PISA assessment, the effectiveness of in-depth data analysis within the framework of sectoral reforms, and developing further strategies were mentioned.
The creation of modern laboratories in schools equipped with natural science and engineering equipment, the creation of preschool institutions with World Bank support, and the improvement of preschool education programs were also mentioned.
The World Bank representative expressed readiness to continue supporting reforms carried out in the education sector of the Republic of Armenia. The parties agreed to continue a professional dialogue for further cooperation in the direction of the RA government's education priorities.