ICT educational pilot project launches in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Microelectronics, Basics of Telecommunication and Information Technologies now form part of curricula at five high schools of Armenia.

The Minister of Education and Science of Armenia has approved the criteria and teaching materials for narrow-specialty subjects in the sphere of ICT.

The program is implemented at 5 high schools of Armenia and is aimed at fostering the ICT sphere as one of the most important components and top priority directions of the country’s economic, scientific and technical development.

The project on specialized ICT education is implemented by the Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science, VivaCell-MTS, Synopsis Armenia and Unicomp as stipulated by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry and the above-mentioned companies on March 30, 2015.

At a joint press conference Wednesday, September 9, at the Ministry of Education, VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian, director of Synopsis Armenia Hovik Musayelyan, Chief Executive Officer of Unicomp Armen Baldryan, and Minister of Education Armen Ashotyan presented the preliminary results of the project.

Ahead of the beginning of the 2015-2016 academic year, Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator VivaCell-MTS supported and actively participated in the development of the criteria and the teaching materials for the “Basics of Telecommunication” and the training of instructors. The Company has also financed the opening of the Microelectronics, Information Technologies and Basics of Telecommunication laboratories. In general, VivaCell-MTS has allocated over AMD 70 million for the implementation of the program.

Synopsis Armenia has organized and carried out trainings for Microelectronics teachers.

Unicomp has trained Information Technologies teachers. The laboratories and respective computer networks for the Microelectronics, Information Technologies and Basics of Telecommunication are currently under construction.

The goals and objectives set by the project of introducing ICT courses at high schools reflect shared commitment of the Ministry from one side, and ICT leaders from the other, to raise the quality of narrow-specialty education in the sphere of ICT, through introduction of methodologies, based on modern theoretical and practical innovative knowledge accumulated by the companies. The project is focused on creating better opportunities for the young people in Armenia in making vocational preferences in the fields of Information Technologies, Telecommunications and Microelectronics.

The project is implemented in 5 educational institutions throughout the country including the Gyumri-based “Photon” college, Yerevan-based “Quantum” college, the Vanadzor specialized school of mathematics and natural sciences, the Yerevan High School of the Armenian State Engineering University, and the Artashes Shahinyan specialized school of physics and mathematics.