The system of education suffered from world financial-economic crisis this year, which resulted in the reduction of funds preliminarily assigned for education, said Armen Ashotyan, Minister of Education and Science, at a press conference today summarizing the year.

The State Budget 2009 foresaw assigning 127 billion drams ($33.8 million) to the sphere of education, however, due to the world crisis, only 108 billion drams ($28.8 million) was allotted. As for 2010, the State Budget of Armenia plans to assign 95 billion drams ($25.3 million).

Paying special attention to the problem of licensing of private higher educational institutions, Ashotyan stated that Armenia has an unprecedented number of private higher educational institutions, and that is why the process of their licensing is made more difficult). “In 2009, more than a dozen private higher educational institutions were deprived of license, and in 2010 the struggle for the improvement of the quality of higher education will continue,” Ashotyan says. (Currently there are 21 state higher educational institutions, and 40 private higher educational institutions having license in Armenia.)

Ashotyan also touched upon the issues of shutting schools and kindergartens in Armenia (on December 9-28 in addition to the holiday ending January 11) because of acute attack of virus diseases, stating that the closure helped stop the spread of the virus. As for the stoppage of the lessons at higher education institutions (higher education institutions were not closed), Ashotyan clarified that he had discussed that variant with rectors.

“If we had stopped the lessons there, students would have to take winter semester exams without fully studying the required materials; and that would result in the rise of corruption risk,” the minister concluded.