Armenia`s schoolchildren will be provided with subscription tickets  to visit cultural and entertainment institutions for free 

ArmInfo.Additional 11.6 million AMD will be allocated from the Government's Reserve Fund for the implementation of a program to provide Armenian students with  subscription tickets for free visits to theaters, cinemas, museums,  concerts and exhibition galleries.  The relevant decision was made on  December 13 at a cabinet meeting.

Presenting the draft decision, Acting Minister of Education and  Science of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan noted that the funds will be  directed to the development of a platform on the dasaran.am website,  by registering on which schoolchildren will receive subscriptions.  The Acting Minister continued this tool will help to avoid congestion  in cultural and entertainment facilities. Work on the site has begun,  and it will fully work since the beginning of 2019. In total, 400  million AMD were allocated for the implementation of the project from  the state budget. At present, the first component of the program has  been completed, under which over 300 thousand schoolchildren have  received tickets. As expected, there will be about 1 million visits  in total. At the first stage, the matter concerned only visits to  theatres and concerts. Now this list will be expanded with cinemas,  museums and exhibition galleries. All the necessary work to provide  schoolchildren in museums with tour guides has also been completed.  Each Armenian student will be able to attend at least one concert,  one museum and one theatre performance. The program will operate  throughout the school year.

Arayik Harutyunyan also stressed that the program "Your Science" is  under development, in the framework of which schoolchildren will  visit scientific institutions of the republic, familiarize with the  activities of scientific laboratories, young scientists will be  invited  to meet with children in school institutions of the country.  "Hpefully, these projects will increase the interest of  schoolchildren both in art and science," he said adding that the  program has aroused great interest among schoolchildren.

In turn, Acting Minister of Culture Lilit Makunts reported that the  implementation of the "Your Art" program at the cost of 50 million  drams continues, according to which famous cultural figures meet with  children in schools, telling about the history of their musical  instruments and literary works. In order to implement the project, a  competition was announced, to which about 90 applications were  received.  Acting Defense Minister David Tonoyan expressed great  interest in the presented programs, offering to implement them in the  military units as well. There was also a proposal not to forget about  the penitentiary institutions.