CHAIRMAN OF NATIONAL FUND OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERS THAT RA NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES CHAIRMANSHIP WANTS TO "PROVINCIALIZE" EDUCATION SPHERE
Noyan Tapan
Jan 10 2007
YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. "The heavy artillery" of forces
failing adoption of draft Conceptional Provisions of Reforms in the
Sphere of Science elaborated by the interdepartmental commission
founded by RA President’s commission is in RA National Academy of
Sciences." Haroutiun Karapetian, Chairman of National Fund of Science
and Advanced Technologies, expressed such an opinion at the December
10 press conference.
In his words, adoption of the above mentioned document was planned
by RA government until late 2006, but this did not take place. In
the Fund Chairman’s words, the evidence that RA National Academy of
Sciences chairmanship wishes to "provincialize" the sphere of science
is also results of recent elections of directors of Academy system’s
institutes, policy of Higher Qualification Commission granting
scientific degrees, insignificant increase of funds envisaged for
financing of science in 2007 as compared with 2006. As H.Karapetian
reported, the evidence of this is also the circumstance that
representatives of Academy did not take part in the 2006 December
9-10 discussion of draft Conceptional Provisions of Reforms in the
Sphere of Science.
It was mentioned that U.S. Fund of Civil Researches and Development,
leading Diasporan scientists expressed their opinion about the draft
document.
H.Karapetian mainly positively estimates the draft considering as
important to withdraw from it provisions on giving "special status"
to the Academy and Higher Qualification Commission.
In his words, the Commission grants scientific degrees on the basis
of articles published not in international scientific magazines,
but articles published in non-scientific magazines in Armenia. The
Chairman of the Fund of Science and Advanced Technologies considered
inadmissible the circumstance that 10% of annual budget of "academic
science sphere" are expenditures of maintaining chairmanship of RA
National Academy of Sciences, which amount to 700-750 thousand USD
annually. He reminded that budget resources of 5.3 bln drams (nearly
14.7 mln USD) are envisaged for financing of Armenian science.