September 3, 2009 - 16:41 AMT
Armenian schools may have no graduates in 2011
In 2011-12 academic year, Armenian schools will probably have no graduates, Narine Hovhannisyan, Head of RA Education Ministry's Comprehensive School Department, told a press conference Thursday. "In 2011, school system may face educational crisis, so to say," she said.

That's because 9th grade students will immediately transfer to high school, with 3 more years to study. However, Ministry is considering possibilities for 11th grade students' taking exams without attending classes and entering higher educational institutions, Hovhannisyan explained.

As noted by Education Ministry official, Armenia introduced 12-year educational system in 2006, considering up-to-date imperatives. "In the course of time, school curricula faced the growing need of new subjects such as 'Computer Science', 'Me and Environment' etc. The present-day 12-year system envisages 8 lessons only for 11th grade students," Narine Hovhannisyan stressed.