Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Incomplete Programs To Be Ruled Out
Debates on public agency performance reports for the first six months of 2011 kicked off today in the Office of Government.
In the first half of the day, reports were delivered by the heads of the following ministers and government agencies: Minister of Education and Science, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Minister of Culture, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Head of State Committee on Scientific Affairs and Head of State Social Security Service. Addressing the attendees, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated in part: “We are opening the hearings of cabinet members’ performance reports for the first six months of 2011. Emphasis has to be placed on the priorities, those matters under ministerial control, as well as on the risks available.”
Taking the floor, Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan stated the following priorities: more accessible pre-school education, general educational reform, primary (trades and crafts) and secondary vocational training development and, finally, reform of higher education in line with the Bologna process.
The head of government charged to speed up work on the latter in order to complete the reform as soon as possible.
Head of State Committee on Scientific Affairs Samvel Haroutunyan referred to the design of a pilot program by the Research University.
Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arthur Grigoryan stated the following priorities: implementation of pension reform, passage to a system of integrated social services, updating of data bases in the sphere of social protection and dealing with child asylum-related problems.
The Prime Minister told him to boost the reform process, as well as to host a conference involving the heads of major businesses and other stakeholders with a view to raising public awareness of the ongoing pension reform.
The Minister of Culture referred to the following priorities: conservation of cultural heritage, raising public awareness and providing broader access to culture.
Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan was told to speed up work on digitalization of cultural assets, installation of sensor-operated kiosks and launch of cultural heritage-related websites.
Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Arthur Petrosyan reported as follows: design of a concept note on physical culture and sport financing schemes, conduct of comprehensive polls among young respondents concerning State youth policy in the Republic of Armenia, provision of equipment to junior sport schools, individual federations and other sporting entities, organization of the Best Sporting Family contest.
Speaking about the financial aspects and the overall performance of all these agencies, the Prime Minister said that incomplete programs should be ruled out.
