YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged to allocate 6 billion drams, which make 1.8 percent of the whole budget, for the RA Ministry of Culture by the project of the RA state budget and this is in conformity with international standards. This statement was made by Hasmik Poghosian, the RA Minister of Culture, at the press conference held on October 2. In the words of the Minister, it became clear still in January 2007 by the monitoring results of the cultural field made by the Ministry that there is a shortage of cultural personnel in the country, in music and art schools, in particular. "Nobody has been sent for requalification, no educational and methodological manuals have been published for many years in this sphere. The departments of folk instruments and trumpet music have been closed in many schools. At present, 680 children, all in all, study in the department of folk music throughout Armenia. This is a sorrowful fact," the Minister mentioned. Hasmik Poghosian stated that free places in the form of state order will be given to the department of folk music in schools of music in 2008. In addition to this, 15 million drams have been allocated for both educational and methodological manulas of schools of music separately. Hasmik Poghosian claimed that 9 young people will leave for Russian art higher educational institutions for the purpose of receiving qualified education within the frameworks of the 2008 interstate contract. Minister Hasmik Poghosian also mentioned that Armenian cultural days will be held in three countries, that is, in Belarus, Italy, and China this autumn. She mentioned that irrespective of the fact that they will not have the scales of the Year of Armenia in France, however, they will be impressive and interesting.

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