Armenia: An advanced destination for higher learning

Education has played a substantial role in Armenia’s values, resulting in highly-talented and competitive human resources. From an anecdotal perspective, Mashots Mesrop invented the Armenian alphabet in 405 CE, and the country prides itself on being one of the very few that can identify the founder of their mother tongue. “He (Mesrop) essentially set up a university, brought together all the philosophers and learned men of the time. The first thing they did is translate all of the important works of the time, philosophical, geological, and so on,” said President of American University of Armenia (AUA), Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian. “Learning has been ingrained in Armenian history and culture for centuries.”

Armenia is witness to innovators that are re-imagining the sector, such as Dasaran, which means “class” in Armenian. By implementing new technology to bridge the developmental gap between the rural and urban areas in Armenia, the Dasaran platform is the first comprehensive E-learning portal integrating educational modules that provide equal access to education. This year, Dasaran was selected as one out of five best innovative enterprises in the final round of Accelerate 2030, a joint international initiative by the UNDP and Impact Hub.

Prior its independence from the USSR, the school system in Armenia followed the standard Soviet model of complete state control. Since then, the sector has undergone major reforms, mostly focused on structural changes and improvements involving financing. The Education Development State Program for 2011-2015 (EDSP 2011-2015) is the primary policy document, with the objective of ensuring the progressive development of the education sector through identification of its reform priorities and development of strategies.

By 2005, all state and private universities in Armenia transferred their programs to the two-cycle higher education systems: bachelor’s (four years) and master’s (two years). As of 2012, it has 26 public institutions and 41 private universities. In 2014, 2.2% of allocated GDP was for the education sector, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Yerevan State University (YSU) is considered the most prestigious university in the country, and one of the most competitive in the region. Founded in 1919, it is the oldest higher learning institution in Armenia, with notable alumni such as President Serzh Sargsyan, since its inception. The university has gone through changes since Armenia’s independence, transitioning to a European-style three-level education system.

In 2016, the school offers an extensive range of study programs at all levels across its nineteen departments offering: 50 undergraduate, more than 110 graduate, and 70 post-graduate academic programs. YSU seeks to be a flagship research-based institution -- achieving this through high-quality educational programs and spearheading innovative student-oriented teaching. It employs 1300 faculty members, including over 50 academicians and corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences, and over 700 full and associate professors catering to a student population of roughly 20,000.

A main priority for the school is to provide more areas for students to conduct their research. Long- term plans include opening three new laboratories and research centers, with specializations related to radiophysics, biology, pharmacy and medical chemistry, and language. “I think this is an excellent opportunity not only for the students of Yerevan State University but also for the students of all the universities of the city to work here, including the research they are doing in their universities, in their laboratories,” said Rector of YSU, Dr. Aram Simoyan. The institution views itself as a center of development within Armenia by providing value. Student-conducted study is applied directly to the state. “Now we are giving one third or more of the research results from here to work for that of the country. These include the articles, books and other results of the research work being published here,” he said.

The university has also inaugurated the Strategic Plan of YSU Development 2016-2020, which focuses on activities rooted in fundamental and applied scientific research and educational programs in various branches of Armenology (Armenian Studies), science, social economics, humanities and culture. With its commitment to providing quality education in Armenia, YSU wants to be more cost efficient for those attending to maximize student retention. “Of course we try to help our students the best we can. For example, this year we have waived part of the tuition -- roughly $1 million in total. This is a large sum, has our annual budget is between $20-22 million,” added Simoyan.

A challenge that the university faces, along with the country, is the educated population that favors migrating abroad. YSU recognizes the value of the Armenian diaspora and its role regarding enrollment and the hiring of personnel from there. “Many experts, especially young specialists, try to go elsewhere because of a good salary and economic situation that can be perceived as more attractive,” said Simoyan. Enhancing international collaborations are one of the goals of YSU--this includes being more open to other universities, research and educational organizations from abroad, and more students, and lecturers from other universities. Present day, the school has more than 270 signed cooperation agreements with foreign partners-universities and research centers in almost fifty countries around the globe. The partners in the USA include the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the University of Connecticut and Arizona State University, along with other institutions in Germany, Russia, China, and others.

“And we can do more in this field; we want to do research work with those schools and partners, organize conferences, publish not only articles and books but also magazines for instance,” said Simoyan. YSU seeks to be a partner offering openness and flexibility, readiness to adopt new trends in education and science. “We possess a high level of human capital which is evident through the quality of teaching and level of research at our university,” said Simoyan.

American University of Armenia (AUA) is another institution that has been at the forefront of educational advancement in Armenia. It is a private university, originally founded with the backing of UC Berkeley and AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) in 1991 and also has just celebrated its 25th year anniversary. “Our educational system is English-language and American-style, we have American accreditation from Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the accrediting agency that accredits Berkeley, Stanford or UCLA,” said Der Kiureghian.

The school has experienced tremendous growth from its starting enrollment of 101 students, to now almost 2000. AUA offers eight different graduate majors and three majors for undergrad, looking to add one more graduate and two more undergraduate programs within the next year. They have eight different research centers for students as well--including its newest one, EPIC (Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center). EPIC a web incubation center that will bring students, research faculty, and selected outside specialists to work together as teams to develop innovative ideas. “Armenia needs job creation, every country needs it, but Armenia even more. There is a great potential here in IT sciences and engineering,” he added.

AUA has notable alumni that have gone on to become founders or top players in some of fastest growing IT companies in the country, such as PicsArt. “More and more the trend among graduates is not to work as employees of large enterprises that do just coding; they tend to grow towards startups” Dr. Der Kiureghian explains.

The university is interested in diversifying the study body by attracting more international students and programs to broaden interactions with the current students. “From an educational point of view, the institution, this diversity, interaction with different cultures and experiences is critical. So, we are very much interested in attracting a broad involvement of international students; we are particularly interested in involving study-abroad students.” AUA currently also boasts a roster of different study-abroad programs with top universities in the USA such as Fresno State, UCLA, UC Irvine and others.

The school offers tuition discounts for those in need, which is a very rigorous process, per Dr. Der Kiureghian, “strictly speaking it is not money we give, but we give a discount on tuition anywhere from 25% to 90% of the tuition could be reduced. So, we have many students who get 90% of it paid.” The University is funded by donations, with most coming from Los Angeles. These are instrumental for AUA’s mission to achieve fruition.

On becoming a recognized leading university in Armenia, Dr. Der Kiureghian says: “well, I would like this university to serve Armenia and the region in producing, and educating a new generation that will transform this country. To make it more prosper, more democratic, and a state that is very progressive and economically advanced. Moreover, I think the graduates of this university will have a crucial role in future.”

“Because of its history, the country has the pedigree to be a country where people come to get educated. I think we as an international university can play that role,” Der Kiureghian said.

AUA and YSU are shining examples of higher learning administrations, working for the benefit of Armenian and international students to ensure they get ahead.

-One World Media