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Armenia: Background Study B

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Armenia: Background Study B InnovationInnovation forfor AgriculturalAgricultural TrainingTraining andand EducationEducation Armenia: Background Study B. Bynum Boley, Ph.D.; A.L. (Tom) Hammett, Ph.D. November 2013 USAID/BFS/ARP-Funded Project Award Number: AID-OAA-L-12-00002 Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Purpose of this report ............................................................................................................................... 5 Data collection methodologies ................................................................................................................. 5 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Historical Background ............................................................................................................................... 5 Economy.................................................................................................................................................... 7 Exports .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Imports .................................................................................................................................................. 8 Agricultural Economy ............................................................................................................................ 8 Current Education and Training Systems in Armenia ................................................................................... 9 History of Education in Armenia ............................................................................................................... 9 Structure of the Armenian Education System .......................................................................................... 9 General Education (Pre-University) ...................................................................................................... 9 Primary School .................................................................................................................................... 10 Middle School ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Secondary Education........................................................................................................................... 12 Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) .......................................................................... 13 Higher education ................................................................................................................................. 14 Agricultural Higher Education in Armenia .......................................................................................... 16 Labor Market and Employer Needs ............................................................................................................ 17 Workforce profile .................................................................................................................................... 17 Current State of the Agricultural Industry .............................................................................................. 18 Challenges to Armenian Agriculture ....................................................................................................... 20 Future of Armenian Agriculture .............................................................................................................. 20 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 23 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 24 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................... 26 LIST OF ACRONYMS AET - agricultural education and training ANAU - Armenian National Agrarian University ASC - Agricultural Support Centers ATC - Agribusiness Teaching Center CIA – Central Intelligence Agency EDMC - Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness EHEA-European Higher Education Area GDP – Gross Domestic Product InnovATE – Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education ICARE - International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education NCVETD - National Centre for Vocational Education and Training Development NGO – Non-governmental Organization RA – Republic of Armenia TAMU - Texas A&M University TVET - Technical and Vocational Education Training UNESCO-UNEVOC – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training USAID - United States Agency for International Development USDA – United States Department of Agriculture 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides an overview of the current status of agricultural education and training (AET) in the Republic of Armenia. AET is vital to the social and economic future of Armenia because it provides the skills for the agricultural industry which presently employs 39% of the population and constitutes 21% of the country’s GDP. With its importance to employment and to the country’s economy, the agricultural industry is one of the most promising sectors for making real strides toward reducing poverty and bringing economic development. This report consists of a literature review on the current state of the agricultural industry and AET within Armenia. The report is organized by a dual focus on the supply and demand factors influencing agriculture and AET in Armenia. The supply-side section of the report focuses on the educational system of Armenia and how AET is incorporated into it. The demand-side section examines the present state of the agricultural industry to identify the current labor and employer needs. These discrepancies in supply and demand are cross-pollinated for recommendations on how to best improve the AET system in Armenia to meet the present challenges of the agricultural industry. This project was made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through USAID Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-12- 00002. The information provided is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government. 4 Introduction Purpose of this report This report aims to review the current state of AET in Armenia and identify where the education system is successful at meeting the current market demands for agricultural AET as well as areas that need increased attention. Data collection methodologies The accumulation of the information for this report involved gathering both primary and secondary data from a variety of sources. The primary data collection consisted of interviews with various AET stakeholders in Armenia during the scoping study held in the spring of 2013. These conversations were held with staff from governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, agriculture students, and faculty members at agricultural institutions to acquire existing views and information regarding AET in Armenia. The secondary information was obtained through a review of literature searching library resources, newspaper archives, and government, university and NGO websites. Background Historical Background Armenia is an ancient country with a history traced back to the Old Stone Age. Its formation stems from multiple tribes coming together on the Armenian plateau between Asia Minor and the Iranian uplands to create the state of Uratu in the ninth-eighth centuries BC (Tumanian, 2006). A core part of Armenia’s historical and present identity is tied to it being the first nation to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD (Avestisayn, 2010). This Christian heritage is unique in a region where most of neighbors have predominantly Muslim populations. Armenia has faced a large amount of conflict throughout its history. This conflict partly stems from Armenia’s location “between the greatest conflicting powers of East and West” including the ancient empires Persia, Rome, Arabic Caliphate, Byzantium to modern day Europe, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union (Tumanian, 2006, p. 5). Armenia’s location between these superpowers has resulted in it being in an “arena of incessant warfare” according to Tumanian (2006, p. 5). 5 Figure 1. Map of Armenia from CIA-World Factbook (2013) There are two historical events that continue to influence Armenia and the current agricultural industry. The first is the genocide of over one million Armenians by the Turkish Ottoman Empire during World War I (Dadrian, 2003). The genocide resulted in a poor relationship between Turks and Armenians, which later manifested in the establishment of closed borders from Armenia to Turkey and Azerbaijan, a Turkish ally. These closed borders have crippled Armenia’s
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