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At January 11 regular sitting, the RA NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport debated in the first reading the draft law on Amending the RA Law on Education. The NA deputy of the Civil Contract Faction, the author of the initiative Sisak Gabrielyan proposes to rewrite the Article 6.4 of the Law on Education, according to which, the state provides free textbooks at the expense of the state budget envisaged for elementary general education programs to the first to fourth grade students of educational institutions carrying out elementary general education programs. As Sisak Gabrielyan has informed, according to the current law, the state provides free textbooks at the expense of the state budget only to students of state schools.

In essence, after the complete adoption of the draft, all elementary school children, regardless of whether they attend a state or a non-state school, will receive the books free. Today, there are 48 non-state schools in the Republic, where more than 4000 children study in primary classes. The number of elementary students in state schools is more than 54.000.

The RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan presented t he positive viewpoint of the Government.

It is planned to enter the law into force from January 1, 2023.

The Committee endorsed the draft. It is envisaged to include it in the draft agenda of the NA regular sittings starting on January 17.

The debate of the draft law authored by the Government on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on General Education submitted for debate in the second reading has been postponed for up to two months for revision. In connection with the initiative, parliamentary hearings will be held by the decision of the Committee on January 25.