Has Two Diplomas but Today Can Only Drive a Taxi: Pashinyan

My acquaintance approached me seeking work, stating he has two diplomas but drives a taxi and does not know how to operate a computer. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shared this during the ceremonial opening of the new building of school No. 139 named after Karen Demirchyan.

“One day I was sitting in a café when an old acquaintance passed by, approached me, and said, ‘You know, I have two diplomas, I drive a taxi, please help me find a job, I don’t know anything about computers.’ I cannot challenge the idea that this person is smart, that he has two diplomas. It’s possible that both diplomas are red, and he has profound knowledge in the field in which he received his diploma, but today he can do no more than drive a taxi. That’s why we need a lot of flexibility,” he noted.

Pashinyan emphasized that schools are a place where children learn, and the school construction project is also an educational program for the state and the government. “We are learning to build schools in the 21st century, and the construction of a school is the first part of the issue, while the subsequent life and trajectory of the school is the second problem. Particularly now, the question is being highlighted about what children need to learn at school and what skills they should acquire before leaving school.”

“Our understanding is that children should acquire the necessary skills for living a prosperous life in school. However, this alone does not solve the problem. The modern world is changing rapidly, and the job market is changing as well, and we must also be able to be flexible to respond appropriately to the situation. We need to reform the educational system in such a way as to give our children the opportunity to adapt to life's changes. The smart person is the one who has the ability to adapt because life is changing, and if we do not respond and are unable to adapt to changes in life, we remain in the same spot,” Pashinyan concluded.