Armenia could be regional center of French-language higher education – Armen Ashotyan
In an interview with Tert.am, Armenia’s Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, who has returned from France, told about Armenia’s proposals to France and bilateral agreements.
Among them is also a proposal for official registration of the French University of Armenia by the government of France.
Mr Ashotyan, Armenia’s premier paid a visit to France a few days ago. As a member of the Armenian delegation and Armenia’s Minister of Education and Science, what’s your opinion of Armenian-French relations, particularly in science and education?
Issues of education and science have their special place in Armenian-French relations, which was repeatedly highlighted during the premier’s visit. This cooperation has several aspects. First, as a Francophonie country, Armenia is interested in deeper study of the French language in schools. French is widely applied in our education system, being the third major foreign language, and it is now considered an advantage in terms of knowledge – and not only in Armenia, but also in the entire world. Another aspect is a French lycée in Armenia, which we have opened this year. And our goal is to turn it into a French-language comprehensive education institution. Of course, it is most important that the French University in Armenia is an “ID card” of our humanitarian cooperation. It is a serious educational institution providing high-quality education. And the issues of its potential for development were discussed during the Armenian premier’s visit to France. We presented two proposals to the French side: first, official registration of the French University of Armenia; second, viewing it as a regional center of Francophonie, which will provide education not only to Armenian citizens, but also to foreign students. The French University of Armenia could also attract students from Georgia, Iran, southern regions of Russia, Middle East and a number of other countries. Besides, it is important for us to afford opportunities to receive Armenian-language education to Armenians residing in France. It is no coincidence that the opening of an Armenian school in Alfortville was attended by the French premier and the president of the National Assembly of France. This is evidence of not only high-level interstate relations, Armenians’ great role in the life of France and Armenian-French relations, but also the Armenian and French governments’ special attention to the education systems. Such visits give impetus to friendly relations and have a profound political import, considering our nation’s attitude to France, and France’s similar attitude to Armenia. And this warmth stood out during all the working meetings our delegation held.
In the same geopolitical and educational-cultural context, there are agreements with several educational institutions of France, particularly the Paris-Sorbonne University.
We are developing our relations, relying on not only the agenda which I outlined and which was discussed in the course of the prime minister’s visit, but also the bilateral relations our universities and scientific research institutions have elaborated. It is especially noteworthy that at the European ministerial forum in Yerevan - which was really on its height - we handed to Paris the baton of being the [next] European higher education capital. And by the way, the 2018 ministerial conference will be hosted by the Paris-Sorbonne University.
What about the automatic recognition of our degrees? When will we be the time to speak about that?
What you call automatic recognition does not practically exist in the European [Higher] Education Area today. Recognition is anchored exclusively on an evaluation system guaranteed by national quality assurance centers. The same system was introduced also in Armenia, so if accreditation agencies, which are member of the European Higher Education Area, accredit universities, it’s just an additional stimulus for recognition, especially for Armenia. I would like to emphasize that two Armenian higher educational institutions – the National University of Architecture and Construction and the State Engineering University – are now undergoing a French accreditation and evaluation process which I hope will end in a positive conclusion.
One educational-political question: can our educational policies be said to be part of our complemantary policies in the context of the Eurasian and EU integration?
In the sphere of politics, Armenia will always guide itself by principles stemming from its own interests, which are compatible also with those of others. We have never implemented steps resulting from a conflict of interests among the superpowers. From that point of view, Armenia can, diplomatically, be considered a consensus zone or country. As for the educational component in your question, there is not a separate Eurasian educational project at the moment, with four of the five members of the Eurasian [Economic] Union being part of the European Higher Education Area. We are for a separate Eurasian education project, but it must be compatible with our trends, developments and standards required by the European [Higher] Education Area.
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