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ARMENIA SWITCHING TO 12-YEAR SCHOOLING
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
June 5 2006
Armenia is gradually extending the length of study in its public
schools to 12 years, in line with an ongoing reform of its system of
primary and secondary education supported by Western donors.
Officials confirmed on Monday that Armenian children who were born
after June 2000 will study longer than the current students who need
10 or 11 years to finish school. The transition to 12-year school
education, the norm around the world, will get underway with the
start of the next academic year on September 1, they said.
Armenians have for decades gone to school at the age of seven and
needed ten years to complete their secondary education. The Armenian
government reformed this Soviet-era system in 2001 when it lowered
the age of first-graders to six years and prolonged the duration
of school instruction by one year. The government made it clear at
the time this is only the first step towards brining the country's
education system into greater conformity with Western standards.
Officials at the Ministry of Education say lengthier instruction
will ease pressure on students and allow for the introduction of new,
non-traditional subjects that were not taught in Soviet times.
"Naturally, the school curriculum for 12-year first-graders will be
much lighter and easier," said Onik Vatian, head of the education
department at the Yerevan municipality.
The structural reform enjoys the strong backing of the World Bank
which disbursed a $19 million loan to support it two years ago. The
bank is expected to provide tens of millions of dollars in additional
funding in the coming years.
However, the reform has also raised concerns among many parents and
schoolteachers who believe that children below the age of seven
are too young to be taught reading, writing and other skills. "I
am against 11-year and 12-year instruction," said one teacher. "The
previous system was much better."
Parents of small boys also fear that their sons will be drafted to
the army when they finish school at the age of 18 before being able
to try to enroll in a university. But Narine Hovannisian, head of an
Education Ministry department on secondary education, sought to dispel
their fears. "I think every graduate will be given a chance to try
to enter a university [before doing compulsory military service],"
she told RFE/RL.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
June 5 2006
Armenia is gradually extending the length of study in its public
schools to 12 years, in line with an ongoing reform of its system of
primary and secondary education supported by Western donors.
Officials confirmed on Monday that Armenian children who were born
after June 2000 will study longer than the current students who need
10 or 11 years to finish school. The transition to 12-year school
education, the norm around the world, will get underway with the
start of the next academic year on September 1, they said.
Armenians have for decades gone to school at the age of seven and
needed ten years to complete their secondary education. The Armenian
government reformed this Soviet-era system in 2001 when it lowered
the age of first-graders to six years and prolonged the duration
of school instruction by one year. The government made it clear at
the time this is only the first step towards brining the country's
education system into greater conformity with Western standards.
Officials at the Ministry of Education say lengthier instruction
will ease pressure on students and allow for the introduction of new,
non-traditional subjects that were not taught in Soviet times.
"Naturally, the school curriculum for 12-year first-graders will be
much lighter and easier," said Onik Vatian, head of the education
department at the Yerevan municipality.
The structural reform enjoys the strong backing of the World Bank
which disbursed a $19 million loan to support it two years ago. The
bank is expected to provide tens of millions of dollars in additional
funding in the coming years.
However, the reform has also raised concerns among many parents and
schoolteachers who believe that children below the age of seven
are too young to be taught reading, writing and other skills. "I
am against 11-year and 12-year instruction," said one teacher. "The
previous system was much better."
Parents of small boys also fear that their sons will be drafted to
the army when they finish school at the age of 18 before being able
to try to enroll in a university. But Narine Hovannisian, head of an
Education Ministry department on secondary education, sought to dispel
their fears. "I think every graduate will be given a chance to try
to enter a university [before doing compulsory military service],"
she told RFE/RL.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress