Training
In Armenia, children start school at the age of six. The compulsory school is formally compulsory and free of charge for ten years. The low stage covers three years. Subsequently, there is a middle school of five years and a secondary school of two years. For higher education, there are around twenty universities and colleges, including four overseas, and a number of private colleges.
- COUNTRYAAH: Country facts of Armenia, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
Until the 1990s, Armenia had a Soviet education system with a strong emphasis on ideological education. Following the liberation from the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenian history and culture have gained a prominent place in teaching. At the same time, however, schools at all levels have been affected by reduced funding, with a shortage of school books and low teacher salaries. Many schools are closed during the winter to keep fuel costs down. The widespread poverty means that many children drop out of school early because parents cannot afford to provide them with the equipment they need.
Here, involvement of Armenians in exile comes in handy. An internationally funded initiative that has attracted attention is Tumo, a center that offers programming in programming after regular school hours for students aged 12-18. In 2019, the system, which is continuing to be expanded, had approximately 7,000 enrolled students who, among other things, learned to digitize medieval texts.
- Searchforpublicschools: Offers schooling information of Armenia in each level – compulsory, technical and higher education programs.
FACTS – EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary school
92.0 percent (2017)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary school
19 (2007)
Reading and writing skills
99.7 percent (2011)
Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP
10.2 percent (2016)
Public expenditure on education as a percentage of the state budget
10.2 percent (2016)
2020
June
Opposition leader criminal accused
June 16
The leader of the opposition party A successful Armenia (BHK), businessman Gagik Tsarukyan, is suspected of, among other things, tax cheating and voting. The accusations of voting arose according to the national security service at the 2017 parliamentary elections. As the owner of the Shangri La casino, Tsarukyan should have run gambling business without a permit. He is also a criminal offender in a third case involving a real estate deal in his home municipality. Tsarukyan himself, who risks losing the freedom of prosecution he enjoys as a parliamentarian himself, claims that the charges are politically conditional.
Pashinyan is remodeling among security managers
June 8
Prime Minister Pashinyan, who is also the commander of Armenia, appoints three new security chiefs: Onik Gasparyan becomes chief of staff in the armed forces, Argishti Kyaramyan becomes head of the national security service and Vahe Ghazaryan becomes national police chief. All three are succeeding persons appointed by Pashinyan since he came to power but served a short time. A former head of security services, Artur Vanetsyan, who left his post in the fall of 2019, has started a new party and demanded Pashinyan’s departure. The new appointments, which Pashinyan announces via social media, must also be signed by the president.
The prime minister has covid-19
June 1st
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been tested for covid-19 and proven to carry the corona virus, he announces himself. His family also carries the infection. Pashinyan states that he has no symptoms, but he stays at home. The Armenian authorities have confirmed nearly 9,300 cases the day before, of which 131 have died. Pashinyan frequently reproduces images on social media of people who defy pandemic restrictions and on June 3, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan announces that it will be mandatory to wear face mask in public place.
May
The property tax is quadrupled
May 27th
A new system for property taxation is being pushed by the government. The system should be gradually introduced over the course of three years. According to the Minister of Finance, who explains that the valuation values should be increased so that they approach market values, the amounts that the property tax generates can be more than quadrupled compared to the current situation. The increase should make it easier to raise the level of municipal service, it says.
Different reporting for the deceased with corona
May 27th
Nearly 100 deaths have been confirmed in the covid-19 viral disease. In addition, nearly 50 deaths have occurred, where patients have had coronary infection confirmed but have died from other diseases, the Armenian Disease Protection Agency reports, while new infection cases continue to be registered. On the same day, it is reported that the government has decided on its nineteenth formal measure to curb the pandemic’s effects, this time a one-man support measure.
Failure to release convicted killer
May 26
The European Court of Justice (European Court of Human Rights) decides on a case involving the murder of an Armenian officer in 2004. According to the court, Azerbaijan violated the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights when the murderer was released (see August 2012). Armenian Gurgen Margaryan was murdered in 2004 when he was on a NATO led course in Hungary by a course participant from Azerbaijan, Ramil Safarov. There must have been disagreement between the men who lived in the home countries’ conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. In Hungary, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006, but he was eventually given a clearance to serve the sentence in his home country. Once transferred to Baku, Safarov was immediately pardoned and elevated to hero. Hungary avoids criticism of the ruling, which can however be appealed.
April
Corona crisis gives gloomier budget
April 23
Parliament adopts a revised state budget for 2020 with gloomy prospects as a result of the global corona crisis; An expected growth of 4.9 percent in the economy has been replaced by a budget deficit of 2 per cent. One of the effects Armenia is aware of is the reduced money transfers from Armenians who have worked abroad.
New law gives the state the right to confiscate
April 16
Parliament adopts a contentious law that allows the state to confiscate property that is deemed to have been acquired illegally; The law gives the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office the right to investigate whether a buyer has sufficient legal income to acquire certain property.
Pandemic support from the EU and the IMF
April 15
The EU will contribute € 92 million to Armenia to counter the spread of coronavirus, the Armenian government said. In connection with the review of the reforms being implemented in the country, the Armenians have also requested an increase in support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and there is an agreement at the official level. The $ 280 million action will be taken against the pandemic as soon as the IMF’s leadership gives the go-ahead, according to a communiqué from the IMF. So far, 17 deaths have been confirmed in Armenia.
Double elections in disputed territory
April 14
In the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh (for Armenians known as the Republic of Artsakh), the second round is run by a presidential election, which is won by Arayik Harutyunyan. On 31 March, a regional parliament was also elected. The mountainous area that Armenia claims has Armenian population but is completely enclosed by Azerbaijan.
March
EU support against the corona crisis
March 30
As part of the EU’s response to the global corona crisis, a support package is promised to the six so-called Eastern Partnership countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. The support includes a total of EUR 140 million for immediate healthcare needs, and in addition EUR 700 million is redistributed so that the money can be used to counter severe societal effects of the crisis. The planned activities are in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Pandemic demands life in Armenia
March 26
Armenia’s first death in the viral disease covid-19 is confirmed in Gjumri. The patient, a 72-year-old woman, has been judged by Armenian media to have had underlying disease and suffered from severe pneumonia. About 300 disease cases have been confirmed in Armenia.
Exception state against coronavirus
March 16
An emergency permit is introduced so that authorities can counter the spread of the new coronavirus that can cause life-threatening conditions, especially in older people. Beginning on March 24, freedom of movement for the population will be limited.
February
President Sargysan is on trial
February 25th
The trial of President Serzh Sargsyan begins formally when he appears before a court in the capital. Sargsyan is charged with financial crime (see December 4, 2019). According to Sargsyan’s lawyer, the prosecution is fabricated to keep him out of politics.
