RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan received today Maria de las Mercedes Miguel, Minister of Education of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ESCS Deputy Minister Arthur Martirosyan also attended the meeting.

Zhanna Andreasyan welcomed the Minister of Education of Buenos Aires and highlighted the significance of strengthening and advancing friendly and multilateral relations between Armenia and Argentina, encouraging the initiatives to share best practices. In this regard, the Minister emphasized the significance, specifically, of the promotion and accessibility of one of the top educational brands in Armenia - the “Tumo” educational model, for the youth of Buenos Aires, emphasizing that the “Tumo” centre is planned to be established in Buenos Aires in 2025, in collaboration with the RA ESCS Ministry.

The “Tumo” centre, planned to be established in Buenos Aires, is the first one in South America: it will provide about 3,000 teenagers with the opportunity to receive informal professional education in fields including animation, game development, music, robotics, filmmaking, graphic design, 3D modelling, programming and more.

The ESCS Minister also underlined the role of the Armenian community of Argentina in the advancement of bilateral relations.

Touching upon the development of collaboration in the field of education with the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires, the ESCS Minister suggested considering the possibilities of sharing experience in education and information technology, cooperation in the field of innovative solutions, and expanding ties between educational institutions.

Zhanna Andreasyan also introduced programs aimed at advancing technological education in Armenia, sparking interest on various international platforms. The Minister touched upon the “Armat” robotics and engineering laboratories established in schools in Armenia, the “COAF” Centre for Informal Education, as well as the “Generation AI” educational programs, which has been launched in 16 high schools since September 2023. Zhanna Andreasyan informed that in September of this year, the experience of implementing advanced education in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in secondary schools of Armenia was presented at the UNESCO Paris headquarters within the framework of the annual “Digital Education Week” event: the program has received significant interest among international partners, which testifies to Armenia's potential in the field of implementing advanced AI education at the school level and leadership in educational innovations.

Referring to the new state standard of general education, approved to enhance the education content in Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan noted that starting from the 2021-2022 academic year, it has been piloted in schools of Tavush region, and according to the independent assessment report, conducted by the World Bank, the dynamics of education over two years have increased by 6 months among students studying under the new standard.

The Minister of Education of Buenos Aires Maria de las Mercedes Miguel expressed her gratitude for the reception and highly appreciated the initiative of the RA Government to advocate for innovative education. She expressed a desire to study the experience of our country in this direction. Maria de las Mercedes Miguel pointed out that Argentina is also implementing significant education reforms, such as the introduction of project-based learning, which will be facilitated by the “Tumo” educational model.

The Minister of Education of Buenos Aires also welcomed Armenia's willingness to participate in the “PISA” International Student Assessment program of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), emphasizing that it is an important platform from the point of view of assessing students' abilities in natural sciences and mathematics.

Highlighting the significance of STEM education, María de las Mercedes Miguel pointed to the issue of increasing women's engagement as a challenging issue. The ESCS Minister emphasized that it is also a separate target policy in Armenia.

During the meeting, the parties touched upon the possibilities of exchanging experience in preschool education and programs aimed at enhancing the capacities of teachers and students. Other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed.