Iravaban.net has examined the draft decision "On Making Amendments to Decision N 2291-L of the Government of the Republic of Armenia dated December 21, 2023" posted for public discussion by the RA Government on the e-draft.am legal acts draft publication website.

What amendments are proposed?

The draft proposes to expand the circle of beneficiaries to include students from forcibly displaced families from Artsakh who have been admitted to the first year (full-time paid) of state educational institutions implementing primary (vocational), secondary, and higher professional educational programs in the 2025-2026 academic year.

At the same time, it is proposed to invalidate the provision of the current decision that stipulated that students who changed their educational institution or educational program or reinstated their student rights would not receive tuition reimbursement.

Circle of Beneficiaries

According to information received from the Assessment and Testing Center, as a result of the 2025-2026 academic year bachelor's and continuous and integrated educational programs full-time admission competition, 251 applicants displaced from Artsakh were admitted to state and non-state universities, of which 240 to state universities.

About 75 students displaced from Artsakh were admitted to the 1st year of vocational and secondary professional educational institutions.

Why is the amendment necessary?

Students who have discontinued their studies due to family circumstances or moved to another locality and have been excluded from the decision's list of beneficiaries have appealed to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. There are also students who wish to transfer from the full-time education system to the distance education system in order to work alongside their studies and take care of family needs.

The new amendment will allow students with such status to also be included in the decision's list of beneficiaries.

Extension of Reimbursement Periods

The draft also extends the reimbursement periods:

• The decision's validity period is extended until 2031
• Tuition reimbursement will be provided until the end of the 2030-2031 academic year

Financial Impact

In connection with the adoption of the draft decision, there may be an increase in expenses in the RA state budget, considering that corresponding financial resources have not been envisaged in the RA 2025-2027 state medium-term expenditure program.

According to the justification:

• About 100 million drams will be needed to reimburse the first semester tuition for approximately 240 students admitted to the first year of universities
• About 15 million drams will be needed to reimburse tuition for approximately 75 students admitted to the 1st year of vocational and secondary professional educational institutions

Previous years' experience shows that the number of program beneficiaries fluctuates in connection with academic progress threshold requirements.

When will the decision enter into force?

The decision will enter into force from the moment of official publication.