Students to Visit Cultural Centers Free of Charge
2018-08-16
The Ministry of Education and Science together with the Ministry of Culture is launching a new educational and cultural project beginning the upcoming academic year. Students will be able to visit cultural centers by subscribing to them. Any student, in the RA, from grades 1 through 12 will have the opportunity to visit, free of charge, three cultural institutions: a museum, a concert hall and a theater, once every academic year.
Ministers Arayik Harutyunyan and Lilit Makunts announced about innovation at a joint press conference at the Parajanov Museum.
The Minister of Education and Science said that 400 million Drams have been envisaged, from the State budget, for this project. Arayik Harutyunyan added, "We had been thinking about the project when we were still members of the opposition movement.. Because it is paramount that children explore culture, it is the obligation of the State to create such an opportunity for about 350,000 students in Armenia. Each child will be able to visit three cultural institutions free of charge once a year. We also have a preliminary agreement with www.dasaran.am website, where a complete list of cultural institutions will be listed, through which students will be able to reserve their place for a play or concert of their choice. For example, a student will not only read about a literary play in school but watch the performance as well, if it is listed in the playlist of the theater where it is taking place. According to the Minister, this is a pilot project, and after ensuing issues are dealt with during which the pilot is run, the project will expand. Arayik Harutyunyan informed that all schoolchildren could visit cultural institutions starting this October. He also showed a sample of the subscription and said that the project had been discussed and agreed with the regional organizations, and the governors will assist in the transportation of the schoolchildren to and from cultural centers..
During the press conference, Lilit Makunts, the RA Minister of Culture, presented a new grant project entitled "Your Art in School,” that encompasses three areas in art: classical music, fine arts and literature. A contest is announced for the grant project, during which the representatives of the above-mentioned fields need to submit a draft with several divisions. The Minister of Culture said that 50 artists would be selected, each of which will be given 1 million drams. In a drawing, schools from different regions of Armenia will be chosen and those artists who get the grant will present their projects.
Both Ministers also mentioned that during the Soviet years, a similar project had also existed. The objective of this project is combining both educational and cultural aspects to create a citizen with spiritual values and upbringing who is part of a knowledgeable audience.
