On March 13, RA NA Chairman Artur Baghdasaryan held a meeting with rectors of private higher educational institutions at the National Assembly. NA Deputy Chairman Vahan Hovhannisyan, Rafik Petrosyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Vostanik Marukhian, member of the same Committee, Sergo Yeritsyan, RA Minister of Education and Science, were present at the meeting.

Rectors of private higher educational institutions sounded their concern over certain articles of the bill “On Higher and Post-Graduate Studies” which had recently passed the first reading. They proposed improving provisions related to general educational system, state sample diploma, legal-organizing issues. All educational institutions must abide by one general educational system. Rectors proposed retaining the notion of a state standard diploma for the time being, create equal rights under the law for all higher educational institutions, revise the provision defining a higher educational institution as non-commercial entities.

Stressing that the ARF Dashnaktsutiun faction had recently considered the issue with the representatives of interested institutions, NA Deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan claimed that privileges and obligations of state and private higher educational institutions must be equally distributed. The parties said the provision defining legal-organizing form of higher educational institutions must be amended in order to avoid problems related to students’ rights. As a way of handling the issue the sides suggested introducing transition stages to the law.

Speaking on the legal-organizing form of higher educational institutions, Sergo Yeritsyan stressed that the issue can be settled through amending the appropriate article of the Civil Code. The notion of a higher educational institution must be defined in a separate article. The minister stressed that adhering to the Bologna agreement Armenia will have to abolish the notion of a state standard diploma which is already stipulated in the bill which had passed the first reading. The minister called to remove the issue from the agenda.

Weighting the introduction of competition education system NA Chairman Artur Baghdasaryan proposed the rectors to submit key proposals on the problems addressed and continue cooperation with the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth. Higher educational institutions are considered non-profit organizations in almost all European and the CIS states, the chairman said. The issue of legal-organizing form of higher educational institutions was discussed with the RA President. The profit of a higher educational institution should be used only in terms of settling educational matters, Mr. Baghdasaryan said. The NA Chairman assigned Rafik Petrosyan, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, to elaborate the article defining a higher educational institution and submit a legal package on amending the appropriate provisions of the Civil Code and the law “On Education.”