Decentralisation Pilot Initiative in the Education Sector Pilot initiative

16-02-2026 - 16-02-2026

On February 13, an introductory meeting on the decentralisation of education was launched with representatives of pilot communities and schools, to be implemented within the framework of the SALAR International project “Support to Decentralization and Local Self-Government Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLoG).

The pilot initiative is planned to be carried out with the joint support of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Lena Falkon, Program Director at SALAR International, who emphasized the importance of effectively launching the initiative and ensuring the active participation of all stakeholders in bringing it to life.

During the introductory meeting, heads of relevant sectoral divisions from the two ministries (Karen Bakoyan, Head of the Local Self-Government Issues Coordination Division of the Local Self-Government Policy Department; Tamara Sargsyan, Head of the General Education Department; Anush Lalazaryan, Head of the General and Extracurricular Education Policy Development and Analysis Division; and Susanna Azatyan, Head of the General and Extracurricular Programs Development and Implementation Division) presented the Government’s vision regarding, on the one hand, education governance reforms and decentralisation, and on the other hand, the decentralization of powers in the field of local self-government. This included strategic perspectives, the draft new Law on Local Self-Government, and other related reforms.

The event also presented the School–Community Cooperation model implemented within the framework of the “Support to Decentralization and Local Self-Government Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLoG) program, along with its achievements.

At this stage, the decentralisation pilot initiative in the education sector will be implemented in the Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Shirak regions of the Republic of Armenia, in three schools located in the communities of Akhuryan, Vaik, and Tatev (in the settlements of Tatev, Martiros, and Keti). All three are state-built educational complexes that are expected to operate in the future as community development centers.

As a result of the initiative, local self-government bodies will be granted administrative and economic management authority over the schools. In the future, decentralisation is planned to be implemented in an additional nine communities.

During the meeting, representatives of the participating schools and communities had the opportunity to address their questions regarding the pilot initiative to senior state officials, leading to an engaging and productive discussion.