Thursday, 29 August 2013
Government To Enable Checks On Tuition Hike
A Cabinet sitting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.
The government approved a set of draft amendments to the laws “On Education” and “Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education.” In line with the strategy adopted by the Ministry of Education and Science, the amendments seek to improve the ideology behind the current system of financial assistance by gradually introducing a system of higher education demand funding system in parallel to the performance-based supply funding system in order to have a more targeted and efficacious State support programs for graduate students.
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said in this connection, “In fact, by this legislative initiative we are implementing our campaign pledge, as well as one of my government’s key priorities, namely that the government should have a tool for establishing an upper threshold for tuition fees. After the law has been enacted, the government may take appropriate action to streamline this field and send clear signals to the universities over their pricing strategy. In this way, we will be able to address the public’s concern as to the government's attitude to tuition policies. Therefore, I feel it to be a topical decision.”
The package of amendments will be sent to the National Assembly in the manner established by law.
Based on the laws “On State Pensions” and “On Legal Acts,” the government amended one of its previous decisions in a bid to bring the applicable legislation in line with the realities and securing the rights of those pensioners who have applied to pension assigning authorities before the last working day of the month (if the data so provided are accurate).
The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs to inform the public through mass media on the work done in recent months with a view to ruling out any delays in pension payment.
The meeting reworded and redrafted the procedure set for submitting immovable and movable property-related information to the State Revenue Committee by Real Estate Cadastre and the Police. The new text allows for online exchange of information to facilitate data receipt and processing.
Reminding that taxes can now be settled electronically via the government website, Tigran Sargsyan urged taxpayers to take advantage of this unique opportunity.
Considering that the number of pupils at Yerevan secondary school N 72 after H. Acharyan has decreased drastically, the Cabinet decided to liquidate the school and hand the building over to Collective Security Treaty Organization Academy Foundation for free use.
The meeting approved a draft amendment to the presidential decree on instituting international scientific awards after Armenia National Hero, Academician V. Hambartsumyan to streamline the nominee selection process and ensure each commission member’s full participation in it. The draft decree will be submitted to the Presidency in the manner established by law.
The meeting agenda comprised some forty items altogether.
