Armenia Moves to Make Preschool Mandatory for Children Aged 5-6

In preparation for the upcoming academic year, consultations have commenced among education sector officials and heads of preschool and extracurricular institutions. During these discussions, Araksia Svajyan, Armenia's Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, announced that the government's next strategic program will mandate preschool education for children aged 5-6. To facilitate this transition, efforts will be directed toward ensuring educational accessibility in both the capital, Yerevan, and other regional settlements.

New Educational Standards

According to Deputy Minister Svajyan, the introduction of new educational standards across kindergartens and school-affiliated preschools is nearing completion. Based on stakeholder feedback, several adjustments have been made to the framework, specifically refining the expected learning outcomes and the requirements for the developmental environment.

Svajyan highlighted the importance of recognizing preschools as critical educational environments rather than mere daycare centers. She emphasized that children who receive proper early education adapt more easily to primary school and demonstrate better academic performance. Tailored programs for various age groups have been developed and will soon be distributed to these institutions.

Age Limit Adjustments

As reported by 1lurer.am, the meeting also outlined recent updates to Armenia's Law on Preschool Education, specifically regarding enrollment eligibility:

• While previous regulations targeted ages 5-6, the attendance window has now been broadened to include children aged 4-6.
• In communities lacking dedicated kindergartens, the eligibility threshold has been expanded to ages 3-6.

Through these progressive steps, the state intends to significantly boost children's participation in the educational process across the entire country.