KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

On 24 September, the RA Prime Minister, the President of the Pedagogical University Council Tigran Sargsyan met the teaching-professorial team and students of the University. The meeting in work-format was marked with the participation of the RA ES Minister Armen Ashotyan, the Head of the “National Center for ProfessionalEducation Quality Assurance"Foundation Rouben Topchyan, representatives from the University of Oulu in Finland, and pursued the aim of cooperation to improve higher pedagogical education in Armenia specifically under the leadership of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan.

 

Among the subjects covered at the session one of the University’s recent reforms was also discussed referring to the accreditation procedure.

 

According to Prime Minister, currently the Pedagogical University has the opportunity to cooperate with international organizations, to receive logistic support; thus, this should be used to prepare highly qualified pedagogues.

 

“Today we are arranging improvements in the higher education reforms, and therefore it is clear that pedagogues will have initial effects of this process. We would like the Pedagogical University to become one of the leading universities of the country and to serve as an example for the rest. The University must be able to provide the whole educational system with highly qualified professionals who will make fundamental changes to the educational system”, Tigran Sargsyan said.

 

Up to the Prime Minister, the country’s progress will be made based on the above mentioned reforms and thanks to teachers, who are prepared at the Pedagogical University.

Afterwards, the Head of the “National Center for Professional Education Quality Assurance" Foundation Rouben Topchyan introduced the report on accreditation results and mentioning the following, “It was  a rather serious challenge for the Pedagogical University to participate in a process which is still new in our educational system. And we highly praise the University’s team work and contributions fulfilled within the framework of the educational quality assurance in our country.”

 

Besides, the Head of the Foundation assured that it was important for the institutional accreditation that universities had a clear understanding of the aims and contributed a self-assessing system. 

 

Moreover, the President of the Pedagogical University Council ordered to make a phasic and scheduled targeting of the reforms and to discuss their realization process in December.

Furthermore, the University Chancellor mentioned that by the Scientific Council’s decision a corresponding document had already been created, as well as groups dealing with quality issues were operating in all faculties.

 

“We should all be vigilant towards the improvement of the quality of education. Very often, the existing documents are either copies or translations in a non-Armenian style. While they should all be clear, comprehensible and only in that case they will follow certain aims,” the University Chancellor put in.

 

In addition, while speaking about the significance of involvement of the Pedagogical University young lecturers into the process, Tigran Sargsyan also observed the following, “Financial encouragement of young scientists is one of the initial forms of motivations. Mr. Mirzakhanyan, under my command their salaries have already been raised by 40 per cent. And now, I strongly recommend you to increase the lecturers’ salaries with the same amount. Young people should understand that together with severe demands of quality there are also comparable remunerations here”.

 

Afterwards, the students asked the President of the Council a number of questions referring to the construction of a students’ campus, existing work experience demanded by the employer, and other questions in interest.

 

In reply to this Tigran Sargsyan mentioned that issue of construction of students’ campuses had already received the approval of the National Assembly and was included in the RA Government programme.

 

Likewise, the RA Minister of Education and Science replied to the next question assuring that a legislative package was being drafted by the Head of Government, which would facilitate the admission of young people to the Civil Service and to private sector.