Thursday, October 26 2023 19:15

ArmInfo.At the Global Gateway Forum, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver  Varhelyi and European Investment Bank (EIB) President Werner Hoyer signed part of a financial package to improve education infrastructure in Armenia. The package will include a grant of EUR10 million provided by the European Commission through EIB Global.

According to the source, the financed project encompasses the  construction of two extracurricular education and teacher training  centres in the municipalities of Kapan and Goris in southern  Armenia's Syunik region. The centres will be operated by the Children  of Armenia Fund (COAF), a non-profit organisation devoted to  advancing educational opportunities and building infrastructure for  children and families in rural Armenia.

The centres will provide after-school educational opportunities and  access to youth services for children aged six to 18. Through a  special transport network, up to 6 000 students will be brought to  learn subjects like mechanics, programming, entrepreneurship,  languages, arts, music and athletics. They will also enjoy access to  social workers and education counsellors, study trips and  presentations by external experts and professionals.  The project  supports the flagship initiative for Armenia "Investing in education,  notably in the Syunik region" under the European Union's Economic and  Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership. It is also an integral  part of the Team Europe Initiative on Resilient Syunik, which  supports the socioeconomic resilience of the southern region of  Armenia - the region most affected by the 2020 hostilities and the  recent plight of mass displacement of Karabakh Armenians.  EIB  President Werner Hoyer said, "As the EU bank, we are committed to  supporting the development of human capital, economic resilience and  social cohesion in Armenia, in line with the EU priorities in the  country. This Team Europe initiative is not only an investment in a  better education system and future for Armenian children, but it will  also contribute to reducing urban- rural divides and gender gaps in  the country." EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement  Oliver Varhelyi said, 'Today's announcement is another proof of the  EU's commitment to Armenia's reforms in education, to enhance its  quality, modernisation and relevance to economy and society.  Education is a priority under the Economic and Investment Plan's  flagships for Armenia, and I am pleased to see that the construction  of two non-formal education centres in the Syunik region will be a  reality.  This will ensure the quality of rural education and  workforce development and prepare young people of Armenia, including  vulnerable groups, to find appropriate jobs in a competitive job  market. This is part of the EU's comprehensive approach to education  in Armenia, to which we committed recently a ?32 million budget  support for the implementation of the education strategy.' President  of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan stated, "Today an  important step was taken towards the realisation of the two  non-formal education centres to be constructed in the Syunik Region  of Armenia and to be operated by the COAF. This can help to further  strengthen the links between formal and non-formal education, as the  latter is an essential auxiliary to the former. Moreover, the  construction of these smart centres in Syunik will contribute to a  bigger goal of developing the southern regions of Armenia."