Funding for Armenia’s education, science, culture, sports and youth sectors has increased by more than 140% over the past seven years, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan said during preliminary discussions on the implementation of the 2025 state budget in the National Assembly.

According to the ministry, around 374.4 billion drams were allocated last year for 24 budget programmes comprising 234 measures, with implementation reaching 93.5% of the planned target.

Andreasyan said sectoral spending had risen from 154.5 billion drams in 2018 to 372.3 billion drams in 2025, an increase of 217.8 billion drams, or 141%.

The approved budget for 2026 provides for 422.9 billion drams, up 13.6% from the previous year.

The minister noted that most of the increase has been directed toward education.

 Education funding rose from 128.3 billion drams in 2018 to 311.4 billion drams in 2025, while a further 42 billion drams increase is planned for 2026.

Andreasyan said the growth in funding has enabled major reforms across the sector, including the government’s “300 Schools, 500 Kindergartens” programme, which has received nearly $1 billion in funding in recent years.

She also highlighted plans to improve teachers’ salaries through the voluntary certification programme. Under the proposed changes, the base salary for teachers participating in the next phase of certification is expected to increase from 200,000 drams to 300,000 drams, with bonuses calculated accordingly.

The minister said preschool education has also seen significant growth, with ministry spending in the sector rising from 800 million drams in 2018 to 9.5 billion drams in 2025, while 13.8 billion drams is planned for 2026.Andreasyan stressed that capital expenditures have increased dramatically, reaching 129.2 billion drams in 2025, compared with just 1.3 billion drams in 2018. More than 101 billion drams was spent last year on the construction and renovation of schools and preschool institutions.

She also pointed to a 180% increase in science funding in recent years, including substantial salary increases for researchers and investments in research infrastructure. Among the projects highlighted was the allocation of more than 3.7 billion drams for the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Center at Yerevan State University.

According to Andreasyan, the government’s newly approved 2026–2030 Science Development Strategy aims to raise science funding to around 1% of GDP by 2030, with at least 0.75% financed through state funding.

The minister also said preparatory work is continuing on the Academic City project, including infrastructure planning and cooperation with leading international universities on educational reforms.