RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan received the delegation of the Ministry of Education of Iraq and the members of the Iraq Office of the World Food Program (WFP) who are on an official visit to Armenia.

Zhanna Andreasyan presented the school feeding program, which is implemented with the assistance of the World Food Program (WFP) during the meeting with the Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Issues of Iraq Hussein Sabri Hamad Al-Lami. In this context, the Deputy Minister spoke about the implementation of the feeding program, the organizational structure, the Government’s commitments, and the main achievements and challenges.

“My greetings to you, I am glad that we have the opportunity to exchange experiences and initiate joint programs. I am sure that during your visit to Armenia you will have the opportunity to personally familiarize with the work of the feeding program implemented in schools of the Republic of Armenia,” noted the Deputy Minister and added that since 2010, the WFP and the RA Government have successfully been implementing the school feeding program in all regions of Armenia, which over the years has become a solid base for the development of human capital and fostering national growth.

Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized that one of the main objectives of the program is to advance the national competencies of school feeding management.

The gradual nationalization of the program began back in 2017 when the WFP each year transmitted the management of school feeding provision of one region to the national structure of the program with the vision of full nationalization of the program by 2023. According to her, with the assistance of the WFP, national capacities have been advanced, contributing to the development of a targeted policy that enables to fully implement the National School Feeding Program.

Hussein Sabri Hamad Al-Lami thanked for the reception and noted that the Government of Iraq, accepting the successful experience of organizing school meals in Armenia, wants to study the programs implemented in Armenia.

According to the representative of Iraq, the objective of the visit to Armenia is to convey to the Ministry of Education of Iraq and other state organizations the experience and strategy of the national school feeding program established and functioning by the Government of Armenia, at the same time presenting to the Armenian colleagues the Iraqi experience in designing and implementing the process of providing school meals in emergency situations.

At the end of the meeting, Hossein Sabri Hamad Al-Lami presented a souvenir to Zhanna Andreasyan and invited her to Iraq to familiarize herself with the implementation of the national school feeding program.