Testing System For Oral Entrance Examinations To Launch In Armenia I

TESTING SYSTEM FOR ORAL ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS TO LAUNCH IN ARMENIA IN TWO YEARS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 9, 2006

YEREVAN, August 9. /ARKA/. A testing system for oral entrance
examinations will be launched in Armenia in two years, Rouben Topchyan,
member of the Republican entrance commission told journalists.

According to him, with the current evaluation of oral examinations
compared to written ones, there is still some subjectivity.

"This is exactly the reason for us to resort to a change in the
system," he said.

Topchyan pointed out that it is planned to create such a system that
will check the knowledge of entrants not by an oral examination,
but modern testing means.

In this relation, Lilit Galstyan, press secretary of the Ministry
Of Education And Science, pointed out that due to low results on the
subject "The Russian Language", it is likely that an examination on
this subject will be also conducted within the testing system.

"It would be more expedient to replace the traditional dictation on
Russian with a written test," she said.

According to the data by August 8, 6501 university entrants got high
grades (18-20 points) during entrance examinations, and 2979 got
unsatisfactory grades (below eight points). From July 20 to August 7,
25625 examinations were conducted; participating in them were 23,509
entrants.

Entrance examinations for universities will last until August 20.

Entrants submitted 12,413 applications, 500 more than in 2005. The
government provided 4342 scholarships at state universities for
2006-2007. For paid education 5598 places are provided.