80% of students involved in new programs of distance learning

 Education, Science, Culture and Sport Ministry of RA initiated a long-term working meeting with representatives of organizations working in the field of education. RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Arayik Harutyunyan, Deputy Ministers Artur Martirosyan and Janna Andreasyan, as well as more than three dozen representatives of partner organizations participated in the remote discussion.

Welcoming the participants, Minister A. Harutyunyan thanked for the respond to the invitation and for the readiness to join efforts and cooperate in the state of emergency declared to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He noted that in the current situation, the ministry immediately took the necessary steps to ensure the continuity of the educational process in educational institutions and to maximize the right of children to get education.

According to the Minister, the National Center for Educational Technologies first launched a comprehensive page on remote education resources, then prepared video lessons for schoolchildren of all disciplines, which are also broadcast daily through the Ministry's WB page. Azar Harutyunyan also informed that the public lesson organized with the Public Television is accessible to all, TV programs have been launched to broadcast video lessons, and about 4,000 teachers have applied to acquire distance learning skills. Deputy Minister A. Martirosyan also expressed gratitude to the partners for responding to the invitation to participate in a short meeting. He noted that the purpose of the discussion is to draw the attention of the partner organizations to the directions and priorities that the Ministry is prescribing today. According to him, it is useful for the IOMS to inform, through such workshops, the efforts planned by its counterparts to co-ordinate the state's efforts to implement the right to education and the continuity of education provided by the IOMS in conjunction with the Coronavirus epidemic situation. Deputy Minister Z. Andreasyan noted that about 80% of schoolchildren are involved in newly initiated distance education programs, and today the ministry is inventorying problems and trying to find solutions. He outlined areas where the Armenian side needs to support children from vulnerable families to the fullest possible extent in distance learning by providing appropriate equipment, access to the Internet, developing resource-based mobile applications, and other, developing teacher training skills, supporting disinfection of all educational institutions. She emphasized the importance of making distance learning accessible to children with disabilities and those with special educational needs. Representatives of the partner organizations welcomed the initiative of the meeting and found the Ministry's actions within a short time frame and the positive response of their educational community impressive. They outlined the steps they have already taken or are planning to take in the state of an emergency. It was agreed that each institution would submit its program support proposal, the implementation of which the ministry would also discuss with the Commission.