POLICY DEVELOPMENT

Higher Education Support Program

1. Development and implementation of credit based educational system at the Graduate Programs of the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) with the purpose of creating flexible curricula adequate to the requirements of developing market economy, promoting integration of the SEUA into the European System of Higher Education by providing conversion of credits, compatibility of academic degrees and diplomas as a basis for free exchange of students between universities of different countries, improving the planning and quality of education and academic cooperation. Policy recommendations will be further supported by the TACIS TEMPUS.

2. Development of unified state educational standards in the area of graduate-level linguistic education to allow promotion of a common educational area, development and introduction of educational standards for the program in Linguistics and Intercultural Communication at the Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Bryusov. In the course of the project a new concept for higher professional education standardization and customization was developed, published and presented for the professional debate of the educational community.

3. Improvement of the education management system and establishment of a control over the quality of the education at the Yerevan State University (YSU) by way of sociological surveys on the quality and methodology of education in all departments of the YSU throughout the academic year of 2002-2003, development of computer-based methods of evaluation of residual knowledge, creation of a database of the YSU faculty members and that of the subjects offered at the university.

4. Development and introduction of unified state educational standards for gender education in the country universities that includes standards for both intermediary and special courses. The project is aimed at reforming the higher education in the country through institutionalization of gender related courses in the country universities and contributing to the development of state policy toward the gender education in the long run.

5. Elaboration and implementation of European Credit Accumulation & Transfer System in the Post-Graduate Programs of the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA), which will allow to build on the already introduced initiative in the university Graduate Programs in revision of the education management concept and techniques and enhancement of the integration of the Armenian graduate and post-graduate education systems into those of the western Europe and the US.

Public Health Program

1. Creation of the “Day care center for mentally disabled people” and the “Supported accommodation for mentally disabled people” models in the country to serve as alternatives to institutionalization and influence policy changes preventing violation of the rights and improving life conditions of people with mental disabilities.

2. Elaboration of national Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) management guidelines with the purpose of their further adoption based on international evidence-based standards to promote best practice in STI diagnosis and patient care and reduce the incidence of infection and drug resistance.

3.Development of fundamental principles of the pharmaceutical policy in the Newly Independent States (NIS) to be presented to the respective Ministry of Health of each NIS country for further development and adoption.

Information Program

Global Internet Policy Initiative (GIPI project) has been actively involved in policy development in the field of telecommunication since 2001 with a specific focus on the following activities:
1.Development and submission of recommendations concerning regulation of telecommunication market to the Informational Communication Technologies (ICT) Development Council; close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice to assist the GoA in preparations to the negotiations with the Armenian Telecommunication Company (ArmenTel).over telecommunications tariffs;
2. Preparation and submission of relevant comments on the draft law On Mass Communications to the Ministry of Justice;
3. Simplification of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) licensing and work on liberalization of telecom services on non-exclusive basis and other issues related to regulation of telecom in Armenia;
4. Promotion of the liberal information laws protecting civil liberties in cyberspace.