In 2012 more than 130 senior schools to function in the republic

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: Head of the Armenian Education and Science Ministry’s secondary education department Narine Hovhannissyan with the request of Armenpress referred to the issues on applying senior school system in Armenia, implementation of works, the expected efficiency.

- How many senior schools are functioning today in the republic and when will the system of the senior school be fully applied?

- Today in ten provinces of Armenia and capital Yerevan 48 senior schools are functioning where 8184 are studying in 10-11th grades. The senior school intends 10-12 classes and as far as only two years have passed since applying this system, we do not have 12th graders. As to the complete applying of the system in 2010-2011 academic year we intend to increase their number by 45 and in 2011-2012 academic year another 40 senior schools will be created. As a result we are planning to have more than 130 senior schools.

- With what standards are senior schools and teachers of schools selected?

- Before the opening of the senior schools the responsible of the educational sphere studied the building conditions of the secondary educational establishments in the capital and provinces to turn some of them into senior ones. As a result those educational establishments are being selected which correspond to the flow classes intended for senior schools. As to the teachers they are mainly selected from the best specialists of pedagogical staff of the educational establishments turned into senior schools. Besides, teachers involved in the senior schools pass training classes and during the work also accreditation which will be organized in a way of class hearings and test works. In case of lack of specialists the director of the school announces a competition for the vacant place aimed at taking a specialist to the work. In such case an opportunity is being created for the newly graduated specialists of teachers training universities to work in senior schools. The salary of the teachers of the senior schools will be 20% higher as compared with the teachers of secondary schools.

- What is the difference between the teaching process in secondary educational establishments and the senior schools?

- Unlike secondary educational establishments flow classes are being organized in humanitarian, mathematics, and economic directions. With this we are trying to help the schoolchildren to orient in their further specialization. We cannot organize flow classes in the secondary schools as it will be senseless to open specialized class for 30-40 pupils. it will operate only for 5-10 pupils which will not be effective. According to the new program, in the first year of senior schools the volume of flow classes will add to the general program by 30% and in the second year by 50% and in the last year by 70%. The senior schools will not have first classes from this year, gradually the low classes will “fade away”. As a result in 6-7 years in the new school besides 10-12th classes no lower classes will be, we will have completed senior school system. By the way, in the Armenian province of Armavir there are no low graders from this year.

- How is the process of applying the senior school system in the rural communities going on? There are rural communities where only one secondary school is functioning and problems rise on transporting pupils to the senior school of the neighboring village.

- In the villages of the republic unlike other towns in parallel with the 10-12 classes intended for the senior schools the general education graduating classes will be preserved and the low classes are not “fading away”. Before starting the new system, former minister Levon Mkrtchyan personally toured in the communities and got convinced that the farmer will not send his teenage child to the neighboring village to study in the senior classes and afterwards enter higher educational establishment. As far as it was a widely spread phenomena we decided to preserve to the comprehensive way of 1-12 classes in the senior school. This will continue until the issue of transporting the schoolchildren from village to village is solved.

- With what text-books and curriculum are the studying processes in the senior schools organized?

- The standards and curriculum with which the teaching process is being conducted are worked out by the National Education Institute. For the 10th grade of the senior school 7 text-books have been printed and by the end of the year it is intended to publish all the text-books of flow subjects for 10-11th graders. Now the curriculum and standards are being worked out for the 12th grade.

- What essential changes have you noticed in the already functioning senior schools?

- One of the essential positive tendencies is that the pupils in the senior schools do not miss classes which was peculiar to all the high classes of the secondary schools. Moreover if we follow their progress from the beginning of the academic year till now we will see that in general from September till March there is a big difference in respect of deepening of their flow knowledge. And all this is being done without taking the children to private classes and spending money. As to the quality of education it is early to make any analyses as it will be clear after the results of university entrance exams.

- What will the ministry do in case the senior school will not justify itself?

- In that case the unjustified senior school will close down as we cannot both endanger the right of schoolchildren to acquire knowledge and the realization of the new system in the republic.

- What will the colleges and academies do in case of the activity of the senior schools?

- Colleges and academies will continue functioning as usual having their pupils. Our goal is to help the high-grade pupils find their place in the studying process - whether it will be senior school, college or academy it is for the pupil to decide. The important thing is to give the pupils deep knowledge, and eliminate the former habit of “drawing” high marks by the teachers in the high grades. Armenian Education and Science Ministry is working toward these reforms and implements effective work.