On November 5, on the initiative of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the National Assembly, parliamentary hearings were held in the National Assembly. Representatives in the sphere of science and education, executive and legislative bodies and representatives of the NGOs participated in it.

Mr. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the National Assembly in his opening speech said that in the document, adopted in 2007, on the strategy of the National Security of the Republic of Armenia among many spheres the issues of science and education, in the context of the National Security of the Republic of Armenia were analyzed. The parliamentary hearings aim to debate the issues of science and education as components of the National Security, to raise the strategic and tactical approaches, which demand a legislative settlement, also with education to observe the moral and psychological and patriotic education. Mr. Armen Ashotyan said that Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, the President of the National Assembly will not participate in those debates for valid reasons, therefore he will represent the following proposals of the President of the National Assembly, related to the solution of the core issues of these spheres:- the educational concepts to comply with the strategy of the National Security, to strengthen the struggle against corruption displays in the education system, to strengthen the connection among the circles of education-science-production to prevent the migration of the “brains” from our country.

According to Mr. Hayk Kotanjyan, Director of the National Strategic Research Institute of Defence of the Republic of Armenia the priority of the National Security should be financial, legal and social support to the scientists engaged in the fundamental sciences, the provision of the Armenians who are being trained abroad to return home and to prevent the migration of the specialists from our country. The core issues of science and education should be observed in the context of security, to develop prospective programs for their development, to conduct consecutive work against the corruption phenomena in these spheres.

According to Mr. Radik Martirosyan, President of the National Academy of Sciences, the national security of the state is provided if it has a powerful economy, for the provision of which it is necessary to have a science, corresponding to the requirements of a promptly developing modern world, for which financial investments are needed. According to Mr. Martirosyan, during the last three years, the percentage terms of the budgetary assignments for science are constantly reduced, 87% of it is the salary fund and only13 % are allocated for the charges of science. National security problems are impossible to be solved in the conditions of such financial assignments – it is necessary to regain consciousness and look forward. The development of the economy is directly or indirectly conditioned by the progress in science, towards which the concern of the state is not sufficient yet.

Mr. Ara Avetisyan, the deputy Minister of Education and Science, said that the solution of existing challenges from the aspect of the National Security is the development of the coordinated program of science and education in our country. Although there are also successes in the sphere of the general education, it is necessary to develop the pedagogical education alongside them. There is still a lot to do in the sphere of vocational training as a whole. The harmonious development of science and education can only provide a stable progress, which is the main pledge of the development of economy.

According to Mr. Gagik Harutyunyan, Executive Director of the Scientific Education fund “Noravank,” the attitude towards science should be changed by the state politics, whereas the dialogue of state and science is not realized yet. The national science is the very sphere that serves the national interests.

The speakers also answered various questions, related to the ways of the development of science, its financing and different questions, related to the reforms of education.

Representatives of educational and various scientific bodies and the MPs raised issues, related to the financing of senior schools and colleges, the conduct of educational and other issues, related to the legislative reforms in these spheres.

Mr. Armen Ashotyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the National Assembly thanked for the interesting debates, noting that the concerns, related to the core issues of the spheres debated could be also the concerns of the committee. The solution of the present issues he highlighted from the point of view of the National Security and asked for the proposals, related to the core issues to be presented to the committee, which will be taken into consideration during the legislative reforms. Mr. Armen Ashotyan expressed readiness to organize thematic discussions also with separate structures, to listen to the problems and proposals they are interested in and try to find possible solutions.