Expert: Combining science with higher education looks very  controversial

ArmInfo. The association of science with higher education provided for by the adopted law looks very controversial. Such opinion was expressed to ArmInfo  by the  Expert in the field of education Mr. Serob Khachatryan.

On March 24, the National Assembly of Armenia adopted in the second  reading a full package of draft laws on amendments and additions to  the law "On Science and Higher Education". It should be noted that  even before its adoption in the first reading, the bill was severely  criticized in specialized circles for a number of parameters.

"In general, I consider this association to be the main problem of  this draft law, since, in my opinion, science and higher education,  after all, need to be regulated by different laws. And the existence  of a theoretical relationship between a particular function of higher  education and science does not mean that these different areas need  to be regulated by one law. Just flipping through this law, you  already get the impression of its artificial nature, " he stressed.

According to the expert, the new law "On Science and Higher  Education" gives the ministry-regulator the opportunity for quite  free actions in relation to scientific institutions. In particular,  their mergers with each other, mergers with universities and even  closures. In the light of such powers, Khachatryan does not rule out  the possibility of new cuts in the field of science and education.   Meanwhile, such a prospect, according to his forecasts, can not lead  to anything good.

The same merger of some scientific institutes with universities, in  his opinion, is not the most reasonable prospect. First of all, due  to the fact that many institutes work independently more effectively  than in the composition of universities. In this light, the final  merging of the two realms causes the expert some concern.

At the same time, Khachatryan highlighted the positive aspects in the  updated law. In this light, he, in particular, stressed the presence  of points in the law that give the education system more modernity.   According to the expert, we are talking about the planned  introduction of some flexible, mobile models of Western universities  in Armenia. The whole question, according to him, is how and with  what degree of professionalism and, accordingly, success, all these  plans will be implemented.

Another point of the law that causes concern to the expert is the  ratio of votes in the boards of management of universities. So from  now on, out of the 9 members of the university councils, five will be  represented by the Ministry of Education, and only four will  rrepresent the university itself. The best option, in his opinion,  would be the management of universities, regardless of the councils.   However, this option is excluded by the government, which considers  the self-government of universities as a guarantee of undesirable  developments in the future.