On January 14, 2026, the Media for Education NGO / mediaforedu.am held an event at the Kh. Apor National Children’s Library to present the results of the “Essay: Critical Thinking” sub-grant project, followed by a public discussion of these results.
The project was implemented with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” project.
Welcoming remarks were delivered by Syuzanna Soghomonyan, representative of the Armenian Lawyers’ Association NGO and “Budgets for Citizens” project expert, who presented the project’s objectives and the activities carried out in collaboration with various civil society organizations. She emphasized the importance of deepening knowledge of budget processes and developing civic capacities. She also highlighted the contribution and cooperation of the Media for Education NGO within the project.
Anush Martirosyan, project manager, expressed gratitude for the collaborative work with the project, particularly emphasizing the importance of experience exchange. She highlighted comparative studies of the general education budget and the public activities of mediaforedu.am related to education quality.
The Media for Education NGO considers the ability to write essays, tested in Tavush region, an important indicator of education quality. Over the course of two years, the NGO’s journalistic and teaching teams reviewed more than 150 essays, identifying systemic challenges.
These challenges were addressed by the NGO co-founder and teacher Nelly Hayrapetyan, who presented obstacles in applying state-set standards and the resulting recommendations, which were rejected by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS).
Lilit Avagyan, co-founder of the NGO, Waldorf School teacher in Stockholm, and Master of International and Comparative Education at Stockholm University, presented her study of international practices, noting that the justifications for rejecting the NGO’s recommendations did not correspond to the principles of education development in the democratic countries she studied.
The public discussion also included Gayane Mkrtchyan, Head of HPSC and Training Division at the NCEDI Foundation. Listening to concerns and questions raised by other participating NGOs, school leaders, and teachers, she noted that NCEDI also agreed with the Media for Education NGO’s observations regarding systemic problems.
Anush Martirosyan, President of the Media for Education NGO, announced that although the six-month project has concluded, the organization will continue working on the issues raised by teachers until a full assessment of their impact is completed.
During the conclusion, participating NGOs and experts expressed their willingness to jointly contribute to addressing the identified challenges.
This publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” project, implemented in cooperation with the Armenian Lawyers’ Association NGO, the Center for Economic Development and Research NGO, and Agora Central Europe NGO (Czech Republic), through the Media for Education NGO within the framework of the sub-grant project “Essay: Critical Thinking”. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Media for Education NGO and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
