Within the framework of the cooperation between the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and US Agency for International Development, the “Armenia Civics for Engagement” five-year program (2022-2027) has been launched.

RA ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan, Deputy Ministers Arthur Martirosyan and Araksia Svajyan, USAID Democracy and Governance Office Director Kelley Strickland, other international and local partners, representatives of the education sector participated in the event.

Welcoming the launch of the program, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan noted that it is in line with the RA Government education policy: “Civic education activities can never be too much, and the participation of partners can encourage and stimulate the general changes we initiated. It is important to develop efficient cooperation, not repeating each other's actions, but complementing each other covering gaps, completing work for the benefit of our children and society.”

The Minister stressed that the Program is implemented not only in a formal but also in an informal format. She expressed hope that fostering the teaching of Social Sciences at the level of formal education will advance, which is one of the key tasks.

“We often emphasize the importance of STEM subjects in our life and science, while the role of social sciences is often underestimated. Knowledge of any field can become useless if we do not have a sociological analysis, an idea of how to use technology and knowledge of Science,” said the Minister.

Zhanna Andreasyan also emphasized the relevance of the Program to the RA state youth policy. She touched upon the programs implemented with the state support, which are aimed at advancing the capacities of the youth, creating new opportunities, ensuring continuing education.

The Minister thanked the US Agency for International Development as a reliable partner and confirmed the willingness for cooperation.

The program is being implemented by a consortium headed by “PH International” Armenia Office, with the participation of the “|International Center for Human Development”, the “Armenian Center for Democratic Education–CIVITAS”, and the National Center for Educational Technologies. The main partner of the program is the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.

The program will localize the important measures of the international toolkit for positive youth development, support the piloting and implementation of the state educational standard through the training of about 1000 Social Science teachers, the production of 50 educational videos, the organization of project-based learning, and establishment of Civic Engagement Clubs in 55 schools. The activities have already started in all these directions: manuals have been published, courses have been organized in the regions and the capital.

The program also provides for the development of a youth participation assessment tool in RA, increasing the role of the Student Council under the RA ESCS Minister, launching civic centers in educational institutions, funding school and youth projects, and organizing summer schools and youth expos.