Education has long been viewed as a pathway to better opportunities and improved livelihoods. However, in Armenia, access to higher education remains limited, particularly for students from low-income families. Despite promises from the government to improve access, significant barriers still exist.
“Education is about giving a person the opportunity to not have to work for 75,000 drams a month. If a person works with a salary of 75,000 drams a month, it means that the person has not received a normal education,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a government session on September 29, 2022.
While Pashinyan emphasized the importance of education in these comments, the government has not effectively supported impoverished individuals in obtaining it. Official speeches constantly reiterate the cornerstone importance of education as a strategy for progress and call for increasing its availability. However, only five out of 100 graduates in Armenia have the opportunity to enter a university for free.
Data from the 2022-2023 academic year indicates that only a small fraction of graduates benefited from a free higher education. Only 4.8% of Armenia’s high school graduates could pursue free education in state universities. Graduates who applied for a tutor and attended additional courses usually received higher grades in competitive entrance exams.
Nune Muradyan’s access to higher education has been restricted by her family’s finances. The 21-year-old, who lives in the province of Shirak, graduated from high school three years ago. Currently unemployed, she aspires to become a manicurist. She has two sisters: the elder is married, and the middle sister studies at Shirak State University. Her parents work in agriculture and animal husbandry. Muradyan did not continue her studies due to financial constraints, as her family cannot support two students.
Muradyan is aware that it is possible to discount university tuition fees, but she says that besides tuition, students have other expenses. At school, she learned Armenian language, literature and biology, as well as preliminary military training. Asked what she would do if she could continue her studies, she said that she would either apply to a military school or a philology faculty. Muradyan believes that no matter which path she chooses to specialize in, it would be a wonderful opportunity.
When asked what she thinks education means, Muradyan thought for a long time, then answered, “Education is the basis for making life better.”
During the 2022-2023 academic year, Armenia had 32,000 high school graduates and 7,000 college graduates. State universities had a total of 16,129 available spots for new students. However, in 2022, just 9,700 applicants were admitted to state universities, leaving thousands of vacant positions.
Many graduates of schools and vocational colleges in Armenia are not admitted to universities. 60% of high school and college graduates pursue education at state universities. 4.8% of total graduates receive a tuition-free education, and 56.9% receive paid on-site and part-time education.
Karlen Khachatryan, dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management at Yerevan State University, highlighted the decline in school attendance among children in Armenia’s provinces.
“Parents often do not send their children to public schools, even though they are free. This is primarily to avoid the costs of clothing and stationery, and also because parents need their children to help with work,” he said. Khachatryan further explained that the number of university applicants is decreasing due to rising tuition and housing fees. “Not all regions have universities, and moving from rural areas to the city for education presents a significant financial burden,” he added.
In 2022, the poverty rate in Armenia was 24.8%, approximately one in four people. The data on poverty includes calculations for four different poverty lines: the upper, lower and extreme poverty lines, as well as the median poverty line, for each adult per month. These were estimated as follows: 57,744 AMD, 38,548 AMD, 26,500 AMD and 48,145 AMD, respectively.
Admission to universities is carried out in a competitive manner based on an entrance exam. “Actually, it turns out that it is less likely that children from poor families will get 19-20 points in the exams than children from well-off families who have practiced with a tutor for two to three years and attended private groups and courses,” said the economist.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, three percent of students at Yerevan State University applied for a tuition discount. 296 students received a discount from the state and 58 from YSU. The Weekly asked YSU how the university and state divide the reimbursements. YSU answered: “State compensation is given to students with a family insecurity score of 27 or more and an annual average quality score of 12 or more. YSU provides compensation to those students who are excluded from the list of beneficiaries to be compensated by the state and provides a discount in accordance with the provisions of the relevant regulation.”
The discounts only cover a certain part of tuition fees, which means that paying fees remains a problem for students from low income families.
Candidate of pedagogical sciences Misha Tadevosyan says that in recent years, there has been a widespread trend in Armenia of studying at universities outside of the country after graduating from high school. According to Tadevosyan, the reasons are many and sometimes not related to financial difficulties.
“Graduates apply for various scholarships and programs, not only in Armenia, but also outside the borders of the country. Sometimes they prefer to pay a lot of money to get a good education. There are various reasons: the competitiveness of educational programs, the easier realization of one’s own potential in the labor market and the quality of educational programs,” he said.
Tadevosyan emphasized not only the importance of state support and functions but also the significance of the students’ aspirations. He suggested that it is crucial to consider whether students aspire to use their chosen profession to effect positive change in their environment and contribute to society.
Tadevosyan believes that it would be a wrong policy to completely discount tuition fees on the basis of a person’s financial status. Instead, he advocates for implementing tools and mechanisms that would ease the financial burden of education based on a student’s progress and achievements.
“If we have high progress, it doesn’t matter what kind of social status the student has; a motivational incentive discount system should work. However, when we say progress, we should not mean only the presence of 20 points in ‘x’ subjects. Here, for example, it is necessary to assess the student’s volunteering experience during the years of study. We are used to the fact that progress is only about grades, but there are other factors that contribute to the possibility of becoming a good student and a good professional,” he said.
Armenia’s education system has changed drastically since independence. According to education expert Serob Khachatryan’s study for the “Alternative Projects Group,” the Soviet education system had both disadvantages and advantages. One of the fundamental defects was that there was no freedom of thought. Among the advantages were that the literacy rate was high and education was free and accessible to all. After Armenia’s independence, tuition fees were allowed in Armenia. Fee-based programs in universities and secondary professional institutions reached a large volume.
“The prediction that paid education will contribute to the improvement of the quality of education was not justified. Unfortunately, the paying student is more interested in getting a degree than the quality of the education,” Khachatryan said.
Numerous programs and initiatives, both public and private, are available to assist students in alleviating the financial burdens of higher education. These initiatives include scholarships, grants and financial aid packages specifically targeting students from low-income families.
An exciting opportunity has emerged for graduates through the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF). Through its scholarship program, COAF aims to break down barriers and empower graduates to pursue higher education and achieve their full potential. By applying skills and knowledge gained from career development programs, COAF fellows initiate community development projects that enhance the lives of rural youth. This initiative not only bridges the gap between aspirations and opportunities but also provides access to training, mentoring and career development, preparing students from under-resourced communities to thrive in their chosen fields.
Angela Khachataryan has benefitted from COAF’s educational programming. Khachataryan is currently pursuing her studies at Khachatur Abovyan Armenian State Pedagogical University, specializing in elementary pedagogy and methodology within the Faculty of Primary Education. Her decision to become a pedagogue stems from a deep-seated passion for working with children.
“Since my school years, I’ve aspired to become a teacher. I firmly believe that educators play a pivotal role in shaping children’s future achievements, growth and development. They are instrumental in cultivating knowledgeable individuals who contribute significantly to our country’s progress,” Khachataryan said. Despite her dedication, Khachataryan expressed concerns about the undervaluation of teachers in Armenia. Some people have suggested that she should have pursued a more financially rewarding career path.
Identifying critical issues within the Armenian education system, Khachataryan highlighted overcrowding in classrooms as a significant hindrance to effective learning, particularly in large groups of 50 or more students. She advocated for fostering creative and analytical approaches among students and emphasized the importance of maintaining impartiality and avoiding political influences in universities.
Originally enrolled in a program that requires fees, Khachataryan now benefits from tuition-free education, thanks to support from COAF. “Joining COAF has been transformative since my third year of university. It not only provided a scholarship equivalent to my previous earnings but also facilitated my professional growth and self-education,” Angela said.
This year, Khachataryan led a community project aimed at empowering children from Artsakh to overcome educational challenges and fully engage in school life. Her goal was to instill a love for learning, nurture self-confidence and dismantle self-limiting beliefs like “I can’t do it” among these children. “Making a positive impact on children’s growth and development has been profoundly rewarding,” Angela shared.
Achieving equitable access to quality education in Armenia requires united efforts from policymakers, educators and communities. Removing barriers can ensure that every young Armenian can pursue their potential and contribute meaningfully to society.
Anna Harutyunyan
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