RA Deputy Ministers of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia Arthur Martirosyan and Araksia Svajyan received today the delegation headed by the Regional Economist of Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank Altynay Arapova.

Representatives of the ADB's Armenian Office also attended the meeting.

The parties discussed the scope of measures provided for in the action plan deriving from the RA Law "On Approval of the Education Development State Program until 2030”, the development of educational infrastructures, substantive reforms of the education sector, including digitization of education and other issues related to the sphere.

Welcoming the guests, Arthur Martirosyan noted the importance of the role of the Asian Development Bank, represented by the Armenian office in the implementation of reforms in the field of education in Armenia: “ADB is a very serious partner for us, with whom we have fruitful cooperation. Currently we are in an active stage of educational reforms. We will discuss with development partners the scope of activities deriving from the “RA Education Development State Program until 2030”, and after the adoption of the action plan, we will have more specific discussions to define the prospects for cooperation.”

Arthur Martirosyan highlighted the importance of the programs implemented with the Asian Development Bank, in particular, the distance learning platform developed with the support of the ADB, the need for the development and implementation of which was caused by the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Currently, it is aimed at finding new solutions in the field of education using modern technologies. The Deputy Minister also touched upon the rather ambitious goals set by the RA Government in the field of school construction, in particular, in the direction of the construction and reconstruction of 300 schools and 500 kindergartens, and in this context stressed the importance of the ADB's “School Seismic Safety Improvement” program, which, according to the Deputy Minister, is an indisputable contribution to the implementation of these goals.

Representatives of the Asian Development Bank expressed willingness to continue support, which may include the development of human resources. It was noted that the upcoming ADB program may include education support programs to achieve the goals set out in the education development state program. ADB representatives initially offered their support, in particular, in terms of studying the private sector, consultations and organizing seminars. Cooperation opportunities in the field of primary and secondary vocational education was emphasized.

The parties also discussed other issues of mutual interest.