Academic City project threatens to undermine education quality in Armenia, expert warns

The number of university applicants in Armenia increased this year, resulting in higher admission thresholds, says education expert and associate professor Atom Mkhitaryan. However, he warns of an ongoing decline in overall university enrollment.

According to Mkhitaryan, applicants remain concentrated in just five or six popular fields, while interest in critically needed professions, including agricultural and science-education disciplines, continues to decline. “Despite government efforts, including scholarships, the number of applicants in fields where Armenia is experiencing a workforce shortage continues to decrease,” he told Panorama.am in an interview on Thursday.

The expert cited the example of the Armenian National Agrarian University, which received only 29 applications this year, down from at least 60-70 in recent years.

In recent years, the total number of students in higher education has decreased by 21%. Mkhitaryan attributes the decline to several factors, including emigration, waning interest in academic pursuits and deteriorating quality of education. "Many students are choosing to pursue higher education in foreign universities," he added.

One contributing factor, he argues, is the controversial Academic City initiative, a proposed relocation and consolidation of universities into a new campus. Mkhitaryan says the project has had a chilling effect on universities and researchers. “It creates psychological pressure. Universities are discouraged from upgrading their facilities, promoting their programs or initiating new projects due to fears of being merged or moved," Mkhitaryan stated.

The expert emphasized that the decline in higher education standards contributes to societal degradation, which could negatively impact the country’s economic development and even lead to its isolation.