During a working visit to Paris, Armenia's Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan, presented the key reforms being implemented in Armenia's education system during a meeting with French Minister of National Education Édouard Geffray, with particular emphasis on integrating artificial intelligence into education.
Geffray praised the effective cooperation established between Armenia and France in the education sector. He highlighted joint initiatives aimed at expanding French-language education in Armenia, noting that they contribute not only to the promotion of the language but also to strengthening broader bilateral ties.
The ministers also discussed exchanging experience in the field of early childhood education and explored the possibility of launching joint professional training programs for preschool educators.
Noting that preschool education in France has been compulsory and free of charge since 2019, the French minister outlined the main features of the country's early childhood education system.
Geffray also presented France's initiatives on artificial intelligence in education, noting that AI literacy has been incorporated into school curricula as a separate educational component.
Andreasyan outlined Armenia's AI Generation and STEP.AI educational programs implemented in upper secondary schools, as well as the multi-level AI Generation initiative designed to train specialists in artificial intelligence from the school level through postgraduate education.
Andreasyan also presented the cooperation between Armenia's Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and OpenAI. Under the partnership, the ChatGPT Edu platform will become available to Armenia's educational community beginning in September, providing around 50,000 subscriptions for students, teachers and researchers. In this context, the ministers also discussed prospects for experience-sharing and joint initiatives between the two countries.
The meeting also addressed non-formal education, highlighting the importance of the TUMO center's Paris branch, where considerable attention is also devoted to integrating artificial intelligence into educational programs.
The Armenian and French ministers further discussed the issue of children's excessive use of social media, emphasizing that measures and regulations are being developed to limit and monitor schoolchildren's access to social networks in order to ensure a safer digital environment.
Andreasyan proposed establishing a more structured and long-term cooperation agenda between the two ministries by expanding exchanges of expertise and reciprocal study visits.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening cooperation in the field of education.
The delegation led by Andreasyan also visited the Hôtel Drouot auction center, where it met with the institution's president, Alexandre Giquello.
The delegation toured the facility and learned about its operations, auction procedures and the technologies used. The minister was briefed on the preservation of older auction lots that require additional care. Giquello also presented the specifics of the auction process, the center's international partnerships and other key aspects of its work.
The two sides agreed to continue cooperation in the fields of auction systems, art market management, cultural exchanges, the promotion of the lawful circulation of cultural property and the prevention of illicit trafficking.
They also discussed professional capacity-building, emphasizing experience-sharing programs, professional visits to Hôtel Drouot, and training opportunities for specialists from Armenian museums, curators and art experts.
Hôtel Drouot has 17 auction and exhibition halls and is home to more than 100 licensed auctioneers. Each year, it hosts around 2,000 auctions, during which approximately 600,000 items are sold. The center also provides art appraisal, transportation and storage services, as well as professional training programs for the cultural sector.
