National Assembly Approves Education Bill in First Reading

Today, the National Assembly approved the draft law on amendments to the Republic of Armenia Law on Education in the first reading.

According to the draft, students in intermediate vocational and primary educational institutions will also be able to study on a paid basis. Currently, only a limited number of students are allowed to study for free in these institutions.

As the main rapporteur of the project, MP Mkhitar Hayrapetyan from the 'My Step' faction stated yesterday, this will allow these educational institutions to meet their needs, provide teachers with higher salaries, and therefore improve the quality of education.

However, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan disagreed, claiming this would only increase the ballast positions in the sector. He argued that people predominantly choose fields such as IT, medicine, and accounting, although demand for jobs in medicine and accounting has decreased.

Nevertheless, all present MPs voted in favor of the bill, with only 2 abstaining.