Key Issues in Education Governance and the Education Decentralisation Pilot Initiative Discussed in Vayk Municipality, Vayots Dzor Province Pilot initiative

08-07-2026 - 08-07-2026

Within the framework of the “Support to Decentralisation and Local Government Reforms in Armenia” (DeaLoG) project, implemented by SALAR International with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), representatives of the Municipality of Västervik, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), and SALAR International visited Vayk Municipality on 1 July.

Welcoming the participants, Mkhitar Matevosyan, Head of Vayk Municipality, expressed the municipality’s readiness to continue its cooperation with the DeaLoG project, reaffirming Vayk’s strong commitment to playing an active role in school governance.

Varsenik Mnatsakanyan, Programme and Team Leader of the DeaLoG project, introduced the participants and the Head of the Community to the Swedish governance toolkit currently applied in 31 municipalities across Sweden. She noted that the methodology would be valuable to pilot in the participating Armenian municipalities.

The discussion was engaging and substantive. Armenian school principals and teachers showed particular interest in the salaries of their Swedish counterparts, the challenges encountered during school consolidation processes, and the responsibilities of municipalities in the governance and delivery of education.

In response, Magnus Liljeström, Senior Adviser at SALAR International, noted that when discussing school closures in Sweden, it is important to understand that closing a school is one of the most difficult decisions a local politician can make.

On behalf of the Armenian side and Vayk Municipality, Garik Khachikyan, National Adviser on Local Self-Government of the DeaLoG project, asked the Swedish delegation how local elected officials in Sweden are held accountable to their voters—an issue that generated considerable interest among the participants.

Representatives of the Vayk Municipal Administration and school staff also inquired about the geographical distribution and organisation of schools in Sweden.

The visit was organised within the framework of the DeaLoG project’s education decentralisation pilot initiative, aiming to promote the exchange of good practices and practical experience between Swedish and Armenian municipalities in the field of education governance, with a particular focus on education decentralisation.

As part of the visit, the Swedish delegation toured Martiros Secondary School, as well as several municipal cultural and educational institutions, highlighting the importance of municipalities’ perspectives and contributions to ensuring the effective implementation of the education decentralisation pilot initiative.