Armenia

The country office of DVV International in Armenia was founded in 2002. Currently, adult learning and education (ALE) in the country is characterised by the increasing relevance of lifelong learning, with a focus on continuing vocational training. There are various programmes for formal and non-formal ALE that aim to optimise the employability of the population and meet the requirements of the changing labour market. Nevertheless, there is no explicit use of the term “adult learning and education” in the state education system, which indicates a limited institutional framework for these educational opportunties.

Formal adult learning and education programmes in Armenia focus primarily on catching up on school-leaving qualifications and vocational qualifications. In contrast, non-formal education programmes are more diverse and include areas such as information technology, languages, art and culture. Participation in non-formal education is particularly widespread in urban regions such as the capital city of Yerevan, and among working people and women, with the majority of these learning activities being work-related. However, there remains a lack of more comprehensive strategies and policy frameworks to systematically promote all aspects of ALE.

Main focus of work

• Improving the framework conditions for adult learning and education: DVV International is committed to providing targeted policy advice to ensure that ALE is recognised and understood holistically as an important factor for the development of the country at the national and local level, and is embedded in the education system. To this end, education strategies and legislation as well as development strategies with ALE components are created with the participation of relevant stakeholders at both national and local levels. This process also relies on necessary data for an evidence-based policy, the systematic collection of which is to be integrated into the existing system in the field of ALE.
• Strengthening ALE centres: DVV International supports the organisational development of five adult learning and education centres run by non-governmental organisations. Through a needs-based training programme with the Curriculum institutionALE and Curriculum managerALE developed by DVV International, the partners increase their capacities in strategic fields of action, advocacy work and quality assurance.
• Professionalisation of ALE teachers: The Curriculum globALE framework curriculum developed by DVV International is being systematically implemented at selected universities in the country to increase the methodological skills of adult learning and education teachers.
• Expansion and qualitative improvement of ALE services in five municipalities: Together with local partner organisations, holistic education programmes are being developed and piloted to meet the needs of the local population.

Partners

In addition to the Ministry of Education, the main partners are five ALE centres in various regions of the country, including NGO-run institutions and community-based centres, and the University of Yerevan. The National Education Foundation and the Statistics Committee are also important partners.