Center for Education Projects PIU The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports

On March 31, within the frames of the visit to Armenia, the World Bank delegation met with the PIU program staff at the Center for Education Projects. Task Team Leader Ms Shizuka Kunimoto, World Bank Consultant Lusine Grigoryan and World Bank Social Development Specialist Sonya Msryan were a part of the mission. The discussion of the activities performed within the frames of the World Bank-funded "Education Improvement Additional Financing" loan program was the focus center of the meeting. The guests were welcomed by Grisha Hovhannisyan, Director of the Center for Education Project PIU. During the meeting, he presented a comprehensive picture of the PIU activities in the context of "Education Improvement Project Additional financing" loan program and referred to the already implemented, current and planned activities within the framework of the program. Emphasizing the importance of collaborative work, he thanked the representatives of the World Bank for consistent support. The Heads of the 4 sub-components of Component 1. Enhancing the Quality of General Education and the Head of the component 2 “Mainstreaming of the Competitive Innovation Fund (CIF) for Higher Education Institutions into full implementation “ presented the activities of the PIU in the context of the "Education Improvement Additional Financing" loan project. They pointed out the implemented, ongoing and planned works. The sides discussed a number of issues related to the implementation of micro-projects . G. Hovhannisyan noted that they are working jointly with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. G. Hovhannisyan added that since September 2024, 49 preschools have been operating normally in Yerevan and the regions, and 3 have been operating since April, and another micro-project is currently being implemented.
The sides discussed a number of issues related to the reconstruction/construction activities in high schools planned under the loan project including the strict deadlines for the rehabilitation/construction related activities. They also discussed a number of issues related to the provision of natural science and engineering laboratory equipment, furniture and materials to general education schools. The WB representative stated that they are impressed by the laboratories already operating in a number of regional schools."This reform will be a huge boost for young people in terms of future career opportunities in high-demand fields such as engineering, ICT, Biology, etc.," said EIP/TTL Shizuka Konimoto. "We cannot talk about STEM education without the availability of appropriate infrastructure and laboratories in schools, but the content aspect is also important," the WB representative emphasized. Head of Subcomponent 1.3 Harut Gharibjanyan presented the video lessons and methodological guides developed for trainings, which are available online. The WB representative stated that they are impressed with the work done. "This can be presented as a successful example for other countries," added Shizuka Konimoto.
A number of issues related to the implementation of grant projects within the framework of the CIF component in the field of higher education were also discussed. Once again, the importance of the grants provided within the frames of CIF was emphasized, as they are aimed at enhancing the higher education quality, relevance, innovativeness and accessibility.
It should be noted that on April 1-4, WB representatives plan to visit the regions of Armenia to get acquainted with the ongoing work carried out within the framework of the project.