Universities and financial difficulties Arayik Harutyunyan meets rectors of state HEIs.
2018-07-23
How will universities face financial difficulties, the latter being a result of fewer students in universities this year and what steps have been made for it? These were the key issues discussed during the meeting of RA Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan and rectors of state higher education institutions (HEI). The Minister mentioned that this year there was a decrease in the number of freshmen by 50%, which will have an impact on the universities. Arayik Harutyunyan asked what anti-crisis programs the universities had done and what solutions they had found, as the problem had been known for years.
The participants noted that the Rector's Council has constantly discussed this issue; moreover, some universities had tried to find situational solutions. YSU Rector Aram Simonyan, for example, mentioned that the “mother university” had developed a savings plan six years ago, and today it is possible to maintain financial stability. Moreover, he mentioned that as a result of not transferring funds to the Armenian Youth Foundation, salaries of YSU employees would rise by 15% from September 1. He was concerned about the financial reduction in the sphere of science under the former government, which, according to the Rector, affected people working in this sphere.
All the rectors present at the meeting discussed financial problems in their HEIs, in particular, they raised such issues as providing medical insurance to HEI employees, the procurement process and certain discounts for students. The rectors asserted that during previous years they had been prepared for this problem due to their intact funds, financial savings, cooperation with international organizations, foreign students' involvement, etc., as a result of which workplaces would not be reduced.
At the end of the meeting, the Minister warned the rectors that from the new academic year there would be strict control over the learning process and the issue of students' attendance.
