YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–Three foreign companies and eight Armenian companies applied to participate in a contest for the publication of 40 text-books and 20 manuals for teachers on a World Bank credit. The packages of the companies were opened at the Ministry of Education and Science January 25.
Deputy Minister of Education and Science Aida Topuzian said that the General Commission headed by Minister of Education and Science Eduard Ghazarian will make assessmen’s of the applications–after which subject commissions–comprising of mostly school-teachers–will start working.
Thereafter–the General Commission is to approve the applications of the publishing companies and submit them to the government for final approval.
The entire process will be completed in mid-March–and schools will receive the text-books in September.
Director of the Center for Educational Reforms Victor Martirossian said that a $5 million loan was issued under the contest–but it is not known what particular sum will be used–as the budget of the text-book publication is formed on the basis of the applications made by the publishing companies.
Martirossian also reported that another contest is to be held this year. Ten subject programs were developed for this contest–but they may be changed. The text-books that did not win the last contest participated in this one–and the text-books that will not win this contest will participate in the next one.
Some 56 text-books and 20 manuals for teachers were published under the program. A total of 110 text-books will be published under the four-year program.