Citizens of Armenia and Diaspora Armenians under 40 will get opportunity to study in the most highly rated universities (about 130) in the US, Europe, Japan, Russia and China in a program sponsored by the state. The Luys (Light) Foundation was created for that purpose, it will implement and finance the program.

Physicist Artur Ishkhanyan, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia initiated the program last September sending a letter to the authorities of the country asserting highly rated universities abroad provide quality and standards of education unavailable at similar institutions in Armenia. The letter also said one of the major components of Armenia’s educational strategy should be making studying in those universities available for Armenian students. Despite the letter was signed by academicians, university deans and department heads, it was perceived as an insult by some Armenian authorities.

Ishkhanyan says Armenia’s institutions are sufficient only in Armenology and that quality is lacking in other fields. He says the need for better facilities and better qualified professionals makes foreign study useful.

“Experimental fields, for example, need laboratories that cost an average of $15 million,” says Ishkhanyan. “More than 90 percent of the laboratories we have are useless, equipment is outdated. They were last modified before 1988. Even if these fabulous sums are spent to get laboratories, it does not mean quality specialists will be trained. We also need Nobel laureates in the laboratories with their schools and tradition, like those, in, say, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. So, preparing quality specialists inside the country is impossible.”

The consultations called on last December by then Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan created grounds for the start of the initiative, but the political disturbances in the country postponed them for several months.

Ishkhanyan appealed to a number of foundations and enterprises with 15 of them giving their consent to provide some financing for the program.

A consultation was held at PM Tigran Sargsyan in June as a result of which principles of assisting Armenian students was approved and a task group was set up to develop a corresponding doctrine.

By the draft doctrine that the government is set to approve within the next few days, support will be given both to the students accepted upon interstate agreements and commissioned by the state, and also students accepted upon individual applications. Support will be provided for full university education and also post-university activities. There will not be any limitation in the choice of specialization.

About 500 students have been sent to 8 countries on inter-governmental programs (including Syria, Egypt, Romania, and Bulgaria) beginning 2000. However, none of them are highly rated. Russia has been providing scholarships to about 100 students from Armenia to study in its universities. However, the universities are chosen by the commission at the Russian Ministry of Education that sends Armenian students mostly to provincial universities (in Tomsk, Ivanovo, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Ryazan), but not the most prestigious Moscow State University.

And under the interstate agreement the entrance exams are organized by the Ministry of Education and Science creating a vast field of corruption. As a result, being accepted in universities arguably no better than those in Armenia becomes a means to leave the country, but not to get a quality education. One of the parents says an official at the Ministry of Education has demanded $3,000 to mediate student’s acceptance to a more quality university. Were it not for his excellent grade in exams, the official would demand $10,000.

The new doctrine provides that the students can enter only the universities with highest rating with their list to be drafted upon the official ratings in the US, Russia, and Europe. The government won’t support students who enter universities with lower ratings.

“Our principle is: If you don’t want to have problems, study well to qualify for the highest rated university. Otherwise the program won’t help you,” says Ishkhanyan, who is the author of the doctrine.

The foundation will pay also for the cost of the entrance exams (GRE or other). The foundation will support all students independent of their social status, both from poor families and those from socially secure families. Ishkhanyan says that will exclude corruption and will give students opportunity to feel independent.

The foundation does not oblige the students to return to Armenia. Instead they will be obliged to take exams in Armenian language, history and culture during the summer school in Armenia; besides, the foundation undertakes an obligation to find jobs for them in Armenia and pay part of their salaries.

Last year Azerbaijan approved a program to provide state financed education in the highly rated foreign universities for 15,000 students by 2015. About 700 already study there; 1,000 more will leave this year.

Ishkhanyan says he has information 80 Armenian students now study in the universities, who have received scholarships individually, without a state support. About 10 students leave for studies annually.

According to his estimates Armenia has 1 student against 10 from Azerbaijan – a challenging figure for a rival country: “We need at least 200, if Azerbaijan has 700, annually. Though, this is a small number for a nation contending intellectual resources as its major capital.”