12-year education to become compulsory in Armenia

Until now, Armenia has had a 9-year compulsory education system. However, under a new provision made in the Law on General Education, a 12-year education system will become compulsory in Armenia.

According to Ashot Arshakyan, the Head of the Public Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia, the 12-year compulsory education aims to ensure stable development worldwide. Earlier, when a student completed 9^th grade, he/she could either continue studies in a high school or specialized secondary educational institutions that offered vocational education, or confine oneself to a 9-grade education. Now however, those who complete 9^th grade should either proceed with school education, or get a profession at a specialized secondary educational institution.

Artag Poghosyan, the Director of the National Center for Educational Technologies (NCET), said that fewer of those who finish the 9^th grade refuse to continue education.

“A study that we conducted in 2016 revealed that 98% of students continue studies after the 9^th grade. In other words, the government needs to solve the problem of the remaining 2%, so that they also continue education,” Artak Poghosyan noted.