Forum Discusses Armenia’s ITC Education Failure

A shame for a country that the authorities claim is moving towards a knowledge-based economy and society: Only 25 percent of IT graduates in Armenia actually work in the IT field. According to the Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Mr. Bagrat Engibarian, about 50 percent of all IT graduates is not even interested in working in the field, and 50 percent of the remaining half cannot find jobs due to lack of relevant knowledge.

Reported by Arka news agency, Mr. Engibarian was presenting the results of a recent study conducted by the Foundation he leads at an informal gathering of ICT sector executives held in the Armenian resort town of Aghveran on 12-13 September 2009.

He and the other participants indicated that the problem was rooted in the absence of cooperation between businesses and the education system.

“Various models are being implemented, and we try to favor cooperation among various sides,” Mr. Engibarian said, “Studies show that even in the United States and in India they face the same problem. Many specialists work in this area only after being retrained.”

He singled out Synopsis-based IT department at the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) as a successful example of such collaboration.

He also pointed out to the program run by Sun Microsystems for retraining of IT students. The company collaborates with Yerevan State University (YSU), State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA), and Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University.

According to Mr. Engibarian, IT specialists work mainly in Yerevan. He stressed the necessity to establish retraining centers in provinces. The IT center in Gyumri is, according to him, a good example of retraining activities outside the capital.

“These various initiatives are first steps, taken in an effort to favor cooperation. However, universities should set and follow a clear objective – to train experts. And the private sector should offer them the necessary support to solve the problem [of the gap of IT specialists] with joint efforts.”

He also emphasized the role of the government that, according to M. Engibarian, should support such collaboration.

Don’t Blame the Universities

Among the other views expressed at the gathering, via Hetq daily (in Armenian), – mostly to justify the current gap between the education system and the market needs – the following comments are worth mentioning:

Mr. Rouben Aghashian, Vice President of the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA), indicated the limited pool of the country’s resources and technical backwardness of research labs.

He said that “in the past few years we have witnessed that some companies establish their own training centers. In this case, a question arises concerning the utility of university education.” Considering that SEUA has been at the forefront of “outsourcing” the educational process to its corporate partners, Mr. Aghashian’s comments were rather strange.

Mr. Alexander Grigorian, VP of Yerevan State University put the blame on the schooling system. “The poor quality at schools obliges universities to fill the knowledge gap”, and hence they fall behind their own mission.

This is a very common line at Armenian higher education, and somehow echoes the opposite blame; when schools claim they cannot do better as HEIs fail to train qualified teachers.

Like his colleague Mr. Aghashian, Mr. Grigorian emphasized the issue of lack of resources. “We do all in the limits of our financial resources,” that implicitly signifies that, according to Mr. Grigorian, the financial resources are currently spent in an effective and effective way.

He also complained that companies do not collaborate enough with HEIs. “Companies should welcome students who intend to do their internships on/at their sites. Nowadays, however, companies are rarely interested in assisting universities with student internships.”

Critical Views

Among more critical views were those of Mr. Hmayak Tigranian, a 2009 graduate from YSU Department of Mathematics and Informatics, representing Santiga Corporation. He said; “what I leaned during my studies, I couldn’t apply anywhere. University instructors continue to teach outdated material with old instruction methods whereas this field develops in a dynamic way. I am not sure if it exist a committee that oversees the curriculum and reviews the educational programs every 2-3 years. When I started to work, I was asked to let aside whatever I had leaned because they were not relevant anymore.”

Building on Tigranian’s comments regarding the outdated instruction methods, Mr. Mher Marcosian raised the issue of instructors’ low pay. “We expect universities to deliver quality education but we forget that the government has set 30 thousand AMD (80 USD) as the university president’s monthly pay… We do not have a well-thought pay system. I understand this is a question of budget but there are certain positions with ridiculously low salaries."

“Today, at the state level, we do not have clear objectives as far as technological development is concerned. Accordingly, the motivation [for technological development projects] is waning,” stated Mr. Karen Vardabedian, the Executive Director of the Union of IT Enterprises.

Armenia's Most Recent New Education Minister

Armenia changes Minister of Education probably more often than any country in the world. By the time they get to know the Ministry personnel and learn about the on-going projects, they are removed.

This has increased the power of middle and top ministry bureaucrats who have only two items on their agenda; maintain their jobs and the status quo.

The previous Minister lasted almost 9 months. He had hardly learned to look credible – at least in front of journalists and photographers – that had to leave office. His political party brought him in and then took him away when it left the ruling coalition.

The current Minister, Mr. Armen Ashotian, marked his 100th day in office by holding a series of press and T.V. interviews on 9 and 10 September 2009. Compared to his predecessor, Mr. Ashotian has at least some academic background. He is, however, seen as young and inexperienced – which to my view are not under current circumstances handicaps.

As it is the usual practice with education-related topics in Armenia, the print media covered the Minister’s interviews much less than the broadcast and online media did.

The New Law

ArmeniaNow reported Mr. Ashotian saying; “education should first of all serve the economy with its qualified specialists, and it should fulfill the orders of the economy,” as well as “education must meet the expectations of the public concerning its system of values, because education is not only studying, but also upbringing.”

As regards to the new law on education, already under preparation under his predecessor, the new minister was reported as saying that the current law “is far from being perfect,… There are various shortcomings and discrepancies in the legislation concerning education and science, which hinder the process of common development.”

The minister apparently also got philosophical and declared; “unfortunately, knowledge and intellect are not considered to be guarantees for prosperous life in our society. The logic is that very often those who are clever and skillful are not as rich as those who did not receive education.” He obviously had most of the ruling oligarchy in mind.

Playing Tough

According to Hetq online, the new Minister has severely reprimanded top officials at the ministry and has called several ministry employees “to account.” He has, however, made no changes to the staff yet.

“The Minister is responsible for policy. According to the law, every public service employee, regardless of position, must conduct themselves within the norms as stated;” Mr. Ashotian was reported saying.

Moreover, he declared that the number of ministry employees who had been penalized was small and that more had simply received warnings for their actions or had been reprimanded.

According to Hetq, Mr. Ashotian has stated that those who could not abide by the rules and regulations as set forth “should leave the ministry”.

“Those who cannot abide by the rules of the ministry, come to work on time, and carry out their prescribed functions responsibly and adequately, will not have a job here. We have over 100 young professional who wish to join the ranks of public service; are motivated, ambitious and ready to work.

Those who prove incapable of handling the challenges and pace of the job will be let go. It’s that simple. The workload has grown and now is not the time for slacking off. Those who perform their tasks well will continue to have a job at the ministry,” he stated.

Official Biography

Mr. Armen Ashotian’s official biography includes the followings:

25 July 1975: Armen Ashotyan was born in Yerevan.

1998: Graduated from the Department of General Practice, Mkhitar Heratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU).

2000: Completed his clinical residency training at the same University with a specialization in Forensic Medicine.

2002: Entered the Armenian State Management Academy.

2002-2005: Worked as Assistant to YSMU Rector/President.

2003: Worked as Assistant to the Chair of Biochemistry of YSMU.

2003: Defended his thesis and received the degree of “Candidate of Science” in Medicine.

2005: Graduated from Moscow School of Political Research.

2005-2006: Worked as Advisor to YSMU Rector.

24 January 2005: Elected as deputy on the proportional list of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.

Until his appointment as minister, was the Chair of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Sports and Youth. In this capacity, he oftentimes made simplistic remarks and outrageous claims causing much debate and controversy in the country.

Armen Ashotyan is a member of Republican Party of Armenia Council.

A Turbulent Year for Iranian Universities

The 21 of September is when Iranians mark the first day of the academic year. Usually it is a joyful occasion. This year, however, many fear the beginning of a turbulent year.

Campaign Against Sociology & Political Science

The New York Times reports what we have previously discussed on this blog; there is growing concern within the academic community that the Iranian government will purge political and social science departments of professors and curriculums deemed “un-Islamic.”

Ayatollah Khamenei, the “Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution”, has announced that the study of Social Sciences “promotes doubts and uncertainty.” He has urged “ardent defenders of Islam” to review the Human Sciences that are taught in Iran’s universities as they “promote secularism.”

“Many of the Humanities and Liberal Arts are based on philosophies whose foundations are materialism and disbelief in godly and Islamic teachings,” Ayatollah Khamenei was reported saying at a gathering of university students and professors on 30 August 2009, according to the state news agency. Teaching those “sciences leads to the loss of belief in godly and Islamic knowledge.”

For years, the study of subjects like Philosophy and Sociology has been viewed suspiciously by Iranian conservatives. During the earliest days of the Islamic Revolution, the nation’s leaders closed universities and tried to sanitize curriculums to fit their Islamic revolutionary ideology. The efforts ultimately failed under the weight of more pragmatic forces.

The recent speeches by the country’s leaders suggest that they may no longer be willing to live with such ambiguity after months of unsuccessfully trying to extinguish the political and social crisis set off by the presidential elections of June 2009.

The state’s renewed focus on education took center stage late in August when the confession of a prominent reformer, Mr. Saeed Hajarian, who had been one of the theoretician behind the reform movement, was broadcast on national television.

The confession, dismissed by reform leaders as a reflection of the views of Mr. Hajarian’s jailers, provided a lengthy criticism of Human Sciences, especially Sociology and Political Science.

Repression: Business As Usual

Preparations are also under way to control student activism and repress protesting students as they return to their classrooms and dormitories.

Following the June presidential elections, university students were attacked and viciously beaten in their dorms. Some students were killed. Numerous students are still in various prisons. Many have also been called into disciplinary and security committees for investigation and inquisition.

Fars news agency, via Payvand news agency, reports that Mr. Ebrahim Kalantari, Ayatollah Khamenei's representative in Tehran University, has announced: "With the start of the new academic year, there is obviously an air of preparations for disturbances." He warned students to stay away from all political provocations.

Ali Fasli, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander also warned of "suspicious rumors" about protests as the universities prepare to start their fall term.

Protecting Students from Swine Flu

The Economist dated 3 September reports that perhaps presaging a crackdown on instructors as well as students, Mr. Kamran Daneshjou, who ran the interior ministry’s election headquarters during the presidential poll, has been appointed minister in charge of universities.

He has rejected any possibility of unrest by confirming that there will be no delays in the opening of the universities and that it will be business as usual in Iranian universities.

The journal notes that a good part of Iranian students comes from different provinces. They are the ones who stay at student dorms which eases politically activism. Many of them, now poised to return, are keen to revive political protests. “Since they have no parents around them,” says an engineering student at the Islamic Azad University of South Tehran who comes from the north-western town of Qazvin, “they are free to do anything. The atmosphere is highly radical. Students right now can continue the protests in a very good way.”

The government has apparently prepared the ground for an eventual university closure. The Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, the government body that oversees education, has declared that universities may stay shut in the autumn because of swine flu.

HSBC Armenia Summer Internship Program in Its 3rd Year

One of the few corporations in Armenia that offers university students the opportunity to earn practical experience during their formal studies is HSBC Armenia.

Established in 1995, HSBC Bank Armenia is a partial subsidiary of HSBC Bank. The parent company holds 70 percent of the shares, leaving the remaining 30 percent to some Diaspora Armenian investors.

Arka news agency reports that in the summer of 2009, for the third consecutive year, HSBC Armenia offered a 2-month summer internship program. The program started in 2007 thanks to which 31 students completed the program and 8 were hired by the bank.

The program follows multiple objectives. It tries to help young people make an early career decision and possibly earn the opportunity to secure a job when they graduate. It also helps the bank to attract young talent to the bank.

Following the procedure developed by HSBC worldwide, students are screened and selected based on the results of tests, questionnaires and interviews.

The bank plans to improve and expand the program even further in the coming years.

Turkish Attempts to Lure Diaspora Students

This can be considered, depending on one’s perspective, as an act of bribery and public relations or a genuine act of good will and reconciliation: Turkey plans to offer 100 scholarships to Armenian-American students so that they study in Turkey for a semester.

Sun-Star, a U.S.-based newspaper, reports that Turkey plans to offer 100 scholarships of 2,000 USD to American students and scholars of Armenian descent so that they spend a semester at any Turkish or Turkish-occupied northern Cypriot university. In return for the money spent on each student, the scholarship sponsors with the Turkish Coalition of America seek potentially priceless benefits.

"We hope to encourage dialogue between Turks and Armenians, so that future generations won't have the burden of this animosity," coalition president Lincoln McCurdy said. "The shared history of both cultures has been overshadowed by hostility for far too long."

The Turkish Coalition of America has refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide of 1915; what many people, Armenian as well as non-Armenian, consider as necessary for a genuine reconciliation between the two nations.

According to Sun-Star, the new scholarships could prove particularly enticing in regions like the San Joaquin Valley, home to tens of thousands of Armenian Americans. California State University in Fresno hosts both an Armenian Studies Program and the nationwide Society for Armenian Studies, which spans many campuses.

Each year, roughly 10 Fresno State students graduate with a minor in Armenian Studies, and dozens more take history, arts and language courses through the program.

The majority of Americans of Armenian descent, including the communities based in Fresno and elsewhere in California, are descendents of the Genocide survivors and continue to carry the memories of the 1915 events.

"There's always skepticism, because of Turkey's attitude in the past," noted Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Director of the Fresno State Armenian Studies Program.

Was the First Tailor a South Caucasian?

Archeologists looking for signs of what the ancient climate was like in the Caucasus Mountains have come across fibers of wild flax, up to 34,000 years old. Some of the fibers were twisted and some were dyed, which indicates they were used for sewing clothes, weaving baskets or making ropes. The ancient craft work was discovered in the Dzudzuana Cave in Georgia. That makes the fibers the oldest known to have been used by humans.

According to a recent article in the journal of Science, via the New York Times, Ofer Bar-Yosef, a researcher and professor of Archaeology at Harvard University, claims the fibers were found during microscopic examination of samples of clay soil from layers of the cave dating from about 6,000 to 36,000 years ago.

The clay soil in the cave remains wet most of the year, he said, which helped preserve the fibers. The most fibers were found in the older layers of the site.

"Making strings and ropes is a sophisticated invention," said Ofer Bar-Yosef. "They might have used this fiber to create parts of clothing, ropes, or baskets — for items that were mainly used for domestic activities."

The earliest previous evidence of fibers worked by humans was from Dolni Vestonice, a site in the Czech Republic dated to 28,000 years ago.

The newly discovered fibers were made from the wild form of flax, not a plant that had been domesticated for farming.

These ancestors really had a clear idea and method of dealing with a useful plant in its wild form to provide good quality fibers for different uses, Bar-Yosef said via e-mail to the Associated Press news agency.

"Innovation was a trait of modern humans when compared to earlier populations," he added. "The invention of strings and ropes is an old one and probably helped to change the organization of transport from earlier times."

Some of the fibers appear to have been dyed using plant materials common in the area, the researchers said. The color range included yellow, red, blue, violet, black and green.

"The colored fibers may indicate that the inhabitants of the cave were engaged in producing colorful textiles," they reported. There was also evidence of processing fur and skin at the site. “The fibers clearly indicate these humans were making some kind of coats or ropes,” Dr. Bar-Yosef said.

Overall, the team, which had been studying pollen remains, collected 787 fragments of fibers.

In addition to Bar-Yosef, the team included researchers from Hebrew University in Jerusalem; Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel; Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel; and the Georgian State Museum in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Turkish Union Asks for Radical Actions

According to Bia Turkish news agency, Mr. Zübeyde Kılıç, President of the Education and Science Workers Trade Union (Eğitim-Sen), has warned that the academic year 2009 -2010 will start with problems. He has urged Turkey’s Ministry of Education to take “immediate and radical measures.”

Mr. Kılıç has warned that the academic year 2009-2010 starting on 24 September will open with a load of problems that have accumulated over the past few years. He has urged the Ministry of Education to take urgent steps to resolve the problems that make both the students and the staff suffer.

The Union has identified and listed the problems in their annual report:

The right to education has been cancelled: According to Mr. Kılıç: "The problems are quite extensive. But the core problem is that neither education nor its funding is considered a basic right in the constitution. Education has become like merchandise, sold in the market. It has become a service only delivered to the ones who can afford it."

Insufficient budget: The low budget allocated to education by the state is another problem. Even though it seems as if the numbers have increased, we can say that during the term of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) it has proportionally decreased. This is particularly important for solving problems related to the physical infrastructure.

Content: Another problem is that the educational content has become increasingly conservative. While education is rapidly moving away from democracy and secularism, the capitalist logic works out its own curriculum. We also have to consider the problem of continuing compulsory religious education despite existing court decisions.

Regional differences: There are essential differences in the level of education between different regions, the provinces within these regions, and the schools within each province. The reason is that the schools are being left alone. If the government and the Ministry do not allocate resources to schools, the schools have to rely on their own resources which are the parents.

Economic crisis: Since the schools lack proper funding, the parents who contribute with their own resources become victims of the economic crisis. The crisis can seriously affect the education of the working class children.