The first academic year of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program, which is being held in Armenia’s Syunik Province, ended with a practical lesson, and this time it was held for the pupils of the high school in Sisian, as well as of High Schools #1 and #4 in Goris at the Sisian branch of the Smart Farming Center of the Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU).
Executive Director of the “My Step” Charitable Foundation Anna Hakobyan observed the final practical lesson, prior to which Acting Director of the ANAU Sisian branch Gagik Khachatryan hosted a tour for the guests and presented to Anna Hakobyan the intensive garden, greenhouse, smart cattle farm, as well as the educational and training station for machinery located at the Smart Farming Center.
It was exactly in these locations where the pupils of 9 schools in Sisian and Goris (the high schools in Angeghakot, Brnakot, Shaghat, Shamb, Lor, Shaki and Sisian, High Schools #1 and #4 in Goris) participated in the practical lessons.
“The aim of the Program is to make sure the pupils acquire modern and innovative knowledge and skills in farming during study in high school, and this will help them enter the labor market soon. The Program also provides the opportunity to discover the pupils’ interests, which can assist them in professional orientation,” Deputy Director of the “My Step” Foundation for Programs and External Relations Talin Topalakian emphasized.
The pupils of the high schools voluntarily registered to participate in the “Horizons” Program, and what interests and engages them the most are the practical lessons during which they learn about the secrets of modern farming — how drip irrigation is carried out in an intensive garden, how an anti-hail network can help save all the crops, how one should place seedlings in the soil or how the soil can be cultivated with a tractor. The participants of the Program even managed to develop business ideas.
“My ideas were related to biology. We carried out a project through which we prevent environmental pollution. In order for villagers to not burn leaves and not pollute the air with greenhouse and carbon dioxide gasses in the fall, based on our project, we obtain eco-friendly soap and water powder from dried leaves,” said Lili Arjunts, 11th grader of High School #4 in Goris.
The “Horizons” Program has already become a beloved and an irreplaceable subject for schoolchildren, and the organizers mentioned that the number of pupils wishing to participate in the Program starting next academic year, has grown significantly after the first stage.
Since formal education is classroom-based, meaning closed, and the main educational process must also be outside the classroom, this is the advantage of the Program; therefore, more and more children want to participate in the Program. Besides the practical lessons, we also stimulate and motivate the children through other events; this year, we will organize the already beloved summer camp, which further motivates the children and fosters their participation in the Program,” Director of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program Rima Grigoryan said in detail.
The “My Step” Charitable Foundation has been holding the “Horizons” Dual Education Program since 2022. Back then, the Program was piloted in the winemaking and viticulture sectors in Armavir and Aragatsotn Provinces of Armenia.
Since the Program sparked great interest among pupils, during the 2023-24 Academic Year, the “My Step” Foundation, in partnership with the Armenian National Agrarian University, held the second stage of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program in Syunik Province with the “Agrotechnology” course, which featured two components, including management of plant breeding and livestock breeding, processing of primary agricultural products and the launch of the latest technologies.
The “Horizons” Dual Education Program in Syunik Province is designed for 10th, 11th and 12th graders, meaning the Program will be ongoing. During the 2024-25 Academic Year, the Program will be held for 12th graders for the first time, and pupils who have proceeded to the 10th grade will be able to apply for participation. The “My Step” Charitable Foundation plans to expand the geography soon and launch the “Horizons” Dual Education Program in other provinces as well.
