Promotion of cultural education as a pledge of cultural diversity
In Armenia, cultural education is implemented at all the levels of education (kindergarten, school, specialised school, college, higher education institution), in extracurricular institutions (children and youth centres, music schools, etc.) and under non-formal education.
Promotion of not only spiritual but also material culture and preservation of cultural diversity is highlighted in the field of education, which is reflected in sustainable development of education — in the fields of both formal (general education, higher education, postgraduate education) and non-formal education.
As of April 2015, 227 music, art, fine art and dance art schools operate in the Republic of Armenia, 96 of which are music, 71 are art, 19 are fine art, 4 are dance art schools, in addition to 37 children and youth creative centres. Some 45 605 pupils study in such schools and 4 487 pedagogues teach there.
Since 2007 the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia has been implementing project “Tuition on national, wind and string instruments in the music and art schools of the Republic of Armenia”, due to which the departments of national, wind and string instruments have been reopened in schools of several communities of the republic, where some 2 400 pupils study music free of charge.
The study conducted by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia in 2013 revealed that the lack and depreciation of musical instruments in schools affect negatively on the process of education. To improve the situation programme “Acquisition of musical instruments for music and art schools of the Republic” was launched in the same year. Within the framework of this programme, musical instruments are provided to gifted young musicians studying in music and art schools, pupils of newly established profession-oriented classes and to children from socially disadvantaged families. The distribution of musical instruments is carried out based on findings of hearings by several leading specialists in music and art schools of the republic, as well as on the principle of en