YEREVAN, MAY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The state budgetary financing of the education and science sector grew by about 32% or 22.9 billion drams in 2007, the RA chief treasurer Atom Janjughazian said at the May 14 joint sitting of the RA National Assemly standing committees. According to him, 95.8 bln drams was spent instead of 91.8 bln drams envisaged by the state budget for education and science. The share of science and education made 2.7% of GDP in 2006 and 3% of GDP in 2007. The financing of science remained at the same level making 5.9 bln drams, while the financing of education grew. Sums given to secondary education (76.8%) made the largest share of the allocations to education. The minister of education and science Levon Mkrtchian said that in 2007 the budget of science and education had a programmed basis. In his words, the ministry has already developed detailed programs for up to 2015 and is cooperating under these programs with the World Bank and several other international financial structures. Last year some changes were made in the credit programs: in particular, 15 thousand teachers underwent training instead of the envisaged 8 thousand ones. The training of head masters finished in 2007. Besides, a radical reform of the specialized secondary education system has been prepared under the European Neighborhood Policy. Its implementation is envisaged in 2008.

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