Memorandum of Understanding Signed Between SALAR International and Armenia´s Ministry of Education

In February, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MoESCS) of the Republic of Armenia, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and SALAR International. The signing signifies a joint commitment to strengthening local governance and promoting education decentralisation in Armenia.

This MoU underscores the Ministry’s role as a key partner in the Support to Decentralisation and Local Self-Government Reforms in Armenia (DeaLoG) project, implemented by SALAR International and financed by Sida. Through this partnership, both institutions reaffirm their commitment to strengthening local governance and promoting education decentralisation as a crucial element in Armenia’s broader decentralisation efforts. In Yerevan the document was signed by SALAR International’s Managing Director, Mr. Ryan Knox, and RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Mrs. Araksia Svajyan.

Background

In general, the Government of Armenia has set the decentralisation as one of its public sector reform policies and as a logical continuation of another major structural change in the system – the enlargement of municipalities. It is part of the Government’s five-year program, where a number of areas have been identified for deepening the decentralised governance, including education sector, specifically the transfer of the responsibility of use and maintenance of school buildings to municipalities. The latter has been further affirmed by the adoption of the Decentralisation Concept (Prime Minister Order No.1111-A, as of November 7, 2023).

From the sector development perspective, decentralisation in general education is also included in the Law on Education Development Program 2030 of Armenia (the Program) as a measure to improve effectiveness of education, with delegation of school management responsibilities to LSGs, especially in the context of territorial administrative reforms (i.e. enlargement of municipalities). The associated Action Plan of the Program envisions gradual transfer of management responsibilities to LSGs, setting the target of 11 pilot municipalities where such transfer shall be accomplished by 2030, as well as enlargement of school boards, separation of content and administrative functions within the schools and transfer of the latter to new administrative managers (introducing this system in all schools by 2030).

In August 2023, MoESCS and DeaLoG project have agreed the main measures and activities – the Work Plan – to guide the work of the Project and cooperation in the area of education decentralisation. The Work Plan envisions four broad strategies to apply: promoting policy dialogue; strengthening school-local municipality cooperation; clarifying further the role of communities in education and school governance; and Improving fiscal aspects of decentralisation in education sector.

The signing signifies a joint commitment to strengthening local governance and promoting education decentralisation

With the signing of the MoU, the partnership between SALAR International and MoESCS is expected to deepen further, creating new opportunities to ensure that decentralisation reforms lead to tangible improvements in education quality, governance, and community engagement

Support to decentralisation and local self-government reforms in Armenia

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