Student Council discusses online safety, bullying and education reforms with minister Andreasyan

The new composition of the Student Council under Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport held its first meeting, discussing students’ online safety, cybersecurity, bullying and changes in the education system.

The meeting was chaired by Minister Zhanna Andreasyan.

The agenda included issues related to students’ online safety, cybersecurity, bullying, as well as fundamental changes introduced in the education system and improvements to the learning process, according to the ministry's press release. 

Minister Zhanna Andreasyan congratulated the participants on joining the new composition of the council, emphasizing their role and views in the context of the changes being implemented in general education.

Speaking about ensuring children's online safety, the minister noted that this issue is becoming increasingly urgent as technology advances.

“Technology is a very important tool in the learning process when used correctly and purposefully. The main issue is that, alongside its positive aspects, it has also brought about numerous challenges. Numerous studies, including the international PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) study conducted every four years, show that, for example, bullying is becoming more widespread in the online environment. It is very important to understand the right way to protect children in this sphere,” the minister said, emphasizing that work is underway with partner government agencies and organizations to develop tools aimed at protecting children's online safety.

According to her, a joint working group has already been established to identify targeted actions and clarify the necessary steps.

Emphasizing the importance of ensuring that students are fully informed and that their views on the issue are heard, the minister sought to hear their views in detail on manifestations of bullying, ways to prevent it, cybersecurity and online safety, as well as their behavior on social media, among other issues.

Students shared their schools’ experiences with cybersecurity, individual cases of bullying, efforts to prevent such incidents and potential risks. They also asked the minister a number of related questions and made suggestions.

Particular emphasis was placed on regularly holding awareness campaigns in schools, improving the effectiveness of psychologists' work in preventing these problems, and strengthening cooperation between students, schools and parents.

During the meeting, Student Council members also asked the minister questions about new textbooks, the assessment system, school-graduation and university entrance examinations, test assignments, the purpose of introducing the essay format, and other issues.

Deputy Minister Anna Babajanyan also attended the meeting.