As part of the official visit to Georgia, the delegation headed by the RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan was received by the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Mikheil Chkhenkeli: ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan, YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and RA Ambassador to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan also attended the meeting.
Welcoming the Delegation headed by the ESCS Minister, the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Mikheil Chkhenkeli attached special importance to the Armenian-Georgian friendly relations. He expressed confidence that joint initiatives will be implemented within the framework of the signed memorandum, which will contribute to the strengthening of Armenian-Georgian friendly ties. The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia also stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of astrophysics.
ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan thanked for the invitation and reception, emphasizing the importance of close, friendly cooperation between Armenia and Georgia. To ensure the sustainable development of bilateral relations, she proposed to develop and expand the possibilities of implementing joint programs in the fields of education and science.
Zhanna Andreasyan thanked for the assistance and effective cooperation with the Georgian public schools operating in Armenian. She expressed willingness to continue cooperation on the part of the ESCS Ministry to provide Armenian public schools in Georgia with Armenian textbooks, as well as to continue cooperation in the certification procedures for Armenian language and literature teachers. In cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, about 18,000 textbooks and methodological literature were delivered to Tbilisi to be transferred to the Armenian public schools in Georgia.
Zhanna Andreasyan also expressed the willingness of the ESCS Ministry to conduct professional training for teachers and instructors of the Armenian language and literature.
The ESCS Minister highlighted the importance of school and interuniversity cooperation between Armenia and Georgia, one of the important achievements of which is the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between Yerevan Basic School № 51 after Vardges Petrosyan and Tbilisi Public School №104, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between Yerevan State University and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. She suggested expanding the scope of cooperation to include other educational institutions and educational structures in Armenia and Georgia.
Zhanna Andreasyan informed those present about the reforms being implemented in the field of general education of the Republic of Armenia. She suggested considering the possibility of implementing experience exchange programs aimed at introducing Georgian as a third foreign language in schools of the Republic of Armenia. It was noted that the experience exchange should be implemented within the framework of the development of general education standards and educational programs, the preparation of academic literature and the enhancement of teachers' capacities.
The scholarship program implemented within the framework of the interstate program was also highlighted on both sides, through which RA citizens get the opportunity to receive higher education in Georgian HEIs, and Georgian citizens - in RA HEIs.
The ESCS Minister proposed to expand the possibilities of implementing “Erasmus+” joint programs, which will contribute to internationalization and ensure the sustainable development of the HEIs in the two countries.
Zhanna Andreasyan also proposed to develop cooperation in the field of science by implementing joint educational scientific programs, which can also be considered within the “Horizon Europe” program.
During the meeting, Zhanna Andreasyan and Mikheil Chkhenkeli signed a Memorandum “On cooperation in the field of education and science between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia”. The document outlines directions for cooperation advancement, as well as a scholarship program in the exchange format.
At the end of the meeting, ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan invited Georgian Minister of Education and Science Mikheil Chkhenkeli to Armenia.