YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Funds for projects implemented at centers for Armenian studies abroad have significantly increased in Armenia’s 2020 budget, Minister of education, science, culture and sport Arayik Harutyunyan said at today’s Cabinet meeting, adding that new projects for Armenian studies will be implemented.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that a technological education doesn’t mean that the patriotic upbringing of children will suffer or will be ignored. “It’s impossible not to teach the Armenian language, literature and history to school-children and fill this gap in the engineering faculties of the universities. We are moving to the deep and comprehensive reforms in general education, and 2020 in this sense is going to be a year of very concrete actions and steps”, the PM said.

He informed that 222 criminal cases have been launched in 126 schools when the school principals registered their relatives to any position and paid salary, but in fact these people even didn’t attend to work. “This means that this is a common phenomenon. Due to this it wasn’t possible to raise the salaries by 20% instead of the 10%. For keeping away from poverty we have only one option – to provide proper education. In addition to social assistance, we should ensure the right of children of big families to receive a competitive education so that they can work in the labor market with their education. This is a state duty and is the only way of overcoming poverty. Work is the only way of overcoming poverty, and the way of having a job is the proper education. I hope this message will reach our children”, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan