Proposal to Redirect Income Tax of Working Students to Tuition Fees

Lilit Makunts, the leader of the "My Step" parliamentary faction, and MP Sisak Gabrielyan propose that the income tax of students studying in master's programs, doctoral programs, and residency programs recognized by the government, while also working, be redirected to cover their tuition fees.

“The Ministry of Education will work with the government to compile a list of those specialties, and there will be certain fields initially. The state will assess the labor market demand, and if citizens study in those fields, they will be able to pay their tuition fees with their income tax,” said Sisak Gabrielyan, the main speaker at the parliamentary standing committee on economic issues.

Co-author of the proposal, Lilit Makunts, added that this initiative encourages working. “Often, we have the approach that students’ tuition fees in master’s programs are also covered by family members. We believe that those studying at the master’s level are in a position where they can work and pay for their tuition simultaneously, which they do, but this approach is forming and can be infectious for other sectors,” emphasized Lilit Makunts, adding that during their undergraduate studies, students often move with inertia when choosing a profession because a family member is a doctor or advises them on what profession to choose, or the applicant thinks that gaining admission in that specialty is easier.

“If we don’t want what often happens in undergraduate programs to happen in master’s programs — for instance, the flow of students in economics, law, foreign languages, international relations, and other specialties to be so high — we propose that the government establish the professional priorities that are also included in the government program and our election program, so we can encourage student flow,” she said.

It is worth noting that this project was previously proposed for undergraduate students who work alongside their studies, but that point has now been removed from the proposal.