On September 1, Day of Knowledge and Schooling, first-year students of the ten faculties of the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) met with representatives of the University’s leadership, administrative and teaching staff, as well as student organizations.

In the 2026–2027 academic year, the University opened its doors to 1,087 students who will take full-time bachelor’s and master’s programs at ASPU. For each of them, September 1 marked not only the beginning of a new academic year, but also the start of one of the most important stages of their lives—the university journey.

The first-year students were congratulated by Acting Rector of the University Lilit Mkrtchyan, who emphasized the importance of their decision to choose the University and pursue their professional journey at ASPU.

She emphasized that ASPU students are entrusted with a special responsibility: “You have chosen a profession that is more than just a job. You will be entrusted with one of the most important missions—to educate, nurture, and shape future generations,” Lilit Mkrtchyan said wishing the first-year students determination, curiosity, and dedication to their profession.

During the meeting, the ASPU leadership inquired about the students’ choice of profession, their vision for the future, and their expectations. Lilit Mkrtchyan assured them that the University staff is committed to providing them with a quality education, professional knowledge, and skills, while also creating opportunities for them to develop independent thinking, take initiative, and become creative and competitive professionals.

The Acting Rector urged the students to make the most of their years at the University, clarify their goals and plans for the future, be creative and proactive, and pave the way to success through collaboration with their professors and the university community.

“The university is an environment where new goals are set with a view to deepening knowledge and expanding one’s horizons and potential. It is a space for lecturers and students to think, learn, and create together, where every student should be able to make the most of the opportunities available,” Lilit Mkrtchyan emphasized.

The first-year students shared the motivations and reasons behind their choice of profession and their visions for the future, noting that they want to turn every day at ASPU into an opportunity to gain knowledge and experience, to grow and improve.

The significance of the day was further enhanced by the welcome ceremony for the first-year students of the Faculty of Primary Education. Their entry into university life was marked by a symbolic ceremony of leaving their own fingerprint on the Tree of Science. It became the students’ first step symbolizing their responsibility for knowledge, education, and their future professional mission.

During the meetings and in their congratulatory addresses, representatives of the University’s various structures once again emphasized the mission of the University: for decades, it has been educating and training those responsible for the education of the country’s future generations. Wishing the students professional success and great achievements, they once again reminded them that the teaching profession has been and remains a benchmark of dedicated work and unwavering commitment.