KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Vice-Rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) for HR Management and International Cooperation Marianna Harutyunyan attended the concluding workshop for the results of the Better Teaching for a Better Future Project (BTBF) held in Tbilisi. The BTBF Project was carried out in close cooperation with the Zurich University of Teacher Education (Switzerland). One of the Coordinators is the Armenian State Pedagogical University, which recently hosted the concluding conference for the results of the Project held with the participation of representatives, education experts, teachers and professors from Armenia, Switzerland, Georgia and Moldova.

The workshop in Tbilisi was held at the Teachers’ Professional Development Center adjunct to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia. The Center’s Director Berika Shukakidze highlighted the importance of the Project and its future impact on increase of the professional qualifications of the Georgian teachers’ community, and attached importance to its impact for learners who have currently chosen the teaching profession. The Center is certain that the Project will produce positive results in all three participating countries.

The results of the Georgian side in regard to the Project were presented, the end results of the Project were assessed, and the future-oriented actions were outlined during the workshop.

ASPU Vice-Rector Marianna Harutyunyan emphasized the importance of the Better Teaching for a Better Future Project for modernization of the educational system in Armenia and for the establishment of stronger ties with Georgia and Moldova. Marianna Harutyunyan noted that the Project not only promoted international cooperation, but also helped set high standards for the training of teachers of the new generation and provided an opportunity to launch new joint programs and projects.

The Project’s expert, Dean of the ASPU Faculty of Foreign Languages Tigran Mikayelyan states that the Project led to tangible end results, with special focus on the innovative approaches that were introduced in the educational process. Mikayelyan also attached special importance to mutual enrichment in joint activities, noting the fact that, as a result of cooperation, the participants became enriched with new knowledge and skills, and the trainers gained new experience and new visions.

The section of the Project devoted to inclusiveness was also touched upon during the workshop in Tbilisi; in all three countries, every participant was provided with the opportunity to be engaged and play an active role in the learning process. The attendees also emphasized that the Project fostered the use of innovative methods and the shaping of a new culture of cooperation in the education system. They are certain that this practice serves as a major basis for ongoing developments, and the steps and program-based provisions for future cooperation are currently being developed.