AMBASSADOR AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION DISCUSS PRIORITIES

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000880


DEPT FOR EUR/PPD-MALPERN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI KPAO AM
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND MINISTER OF EDUCATION DISCUSS PRIORITIES

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SUMMARY
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1. On October 27, the Ambassador and the Minister of Education and
Science discussed priority areas of access and quality for all and
concurred on the necessity of cooperation to promote development of
Armenian society through educational reforms. The Minister stressed
the role of education as an investment that promotes Armenia's
development and integration with the world. The Ambassador raised
the problem of military draft exemptions for male college students
who participate in U.S. student exchange programs. The minister
offered some procedural help but no real solution to the problem.
End Summary.

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FOCUS ON ACCESS AND QUALITY
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2. The Ambassador paid an introductory call on Minister of
Education and Science Spartak Seyranian on October 27. The Minister
spoke about current reforms in the high school system, the necessity
to improve equal access to a quality education throughout the
country (especially in the provinces),and the implementation of the
Bologna agreement in the higher education system. He stressed the
importance of quality at all levels and highlighted the creation
centers of excellence in different regions of Armenia. Even though
Armenians traditionally have put great value in education, the
Minister feared they now focus more on obtaining a "piece of paper"
than on the quality of the education they receive. Seyranian hoped
that, with the current reforms, a new demand for quality in
education will arise and in turn promote positive change in the
society.


3. Deputy Minister Bagrat Yesayan focused on the high school
curricula reforms, the content of high school programs, and the
adoption of a credit system at the high school level to complement
the one being adopted in higher education. He spoke about the
challenges in promoting inclusive education for children with
special needs as well as the effort to offer those students who do
not qualify for university admission the option of vocational
education and training.

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EXCHANGES AND THE MILITARY DRAFT
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4. Minister Seyranian thanked the U.S. Embassy for the number of
exchange programs and other kinds of investments in the educational
sector of Armenia. He expressed his appreciation for both the
financial support to the students and the exchange of experience and
expertise, which he felt to be extremely valuable in the reforms
process. The Ambassador then raised the draft exemption issue for
one of the Muskie program participants and, more generally, the need
to find a mechanism to simplify the process that allows male
applicants to USG programs to maintain their student (draft exempt)
status. The Ministry representatives expressed interest in helping
the Embassy but offered no real solution to the unwieldy and
inadequate system now in place.


5. Note. Compulsory military draft applies to every Armenian male
from the age of 18 to 27. The U.S. Embassy signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Ministry of Education and Science (2006) to
be able to apply to the Armenian government with a request to exempt
male finalists from military service for the length of the program.
However, the exemption is a lengthy process, which does not
guarantee an exemption for the whole duration of the program since
the Defense Ministry operates on its own timetable. The U.S.
Embassy still has trouble recruiting male applicants who fear losing
their exemption from military service if they participate in our
exchange programs. Only around 25% of undergraduate applicants and
30% of Muskie applicants are males. End Note.

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STRATEGY PAPER - MORE THAN JUST SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
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6. The Ambassador asked about the status of the USAID-supported
strategy paper for education for 2008-2015. The Minister joked,
"these plans give us something to talk about with foreign
ambassadors." More seriously, Seyranian stressed that such
documents create a forum for discussion and improve the content and
direction of policies. "Creating a paper is not an end in itself,
it is an evolutionary process to reflect changes in the society," he
said. The Minister stressed that different parts of the draft
strategy are implemented to some extent in various ways; for
example, the idea of creating centers of excellence comes from the
strategy paper.

Yovanovitch