There is a large outflow of scientists, the number is now the lowest. 150 specialties

Atom Mkhitaryan, dean of the International Scientific and Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, expert in the field of education denies Nikol Pashinyan’s statements that the salaries of scientists have increased several times. says: there is a misunderstanding here.

“I am an employee of the NAS, my salary has not undergone any changes in the last 5 years. Moreover, the salaries of some scientists have increased, but the salaries of more scientists have also been reduced, because they will have to undergo some kind of grading.

There is an attestation procedure for scientists, as there is for teachers, and those scientists who pass the attestation, their salaries have increased to a maximum of 500 thousand drams. Many of them were also demoted because they were demoted, and many scientists left the system.” 168.am–Atom Mkhitaryan said in a conversation with

He emphasizes that the salary fund, which was allocated to the entire academic system 2-3 years ago, has remained the same because the number of scientists has decreased, and the salary of those decreased scientists has been redistributed among other scientists.

“Throughout history, the number of scientists is now the lowest: there are only 1,004 scientists per 1 million inhabitants, while in the Soviet years there were approximately 8-9 times more.

Good scientists go abroad to do the same work and receive several times higher salaries, while some scientists leave the system, go to the business sector or the public administration system, and the young people who replace them do not manage to replenish the ranks at the rate at which the seniors leave those ranks. This is the reason why the number of scientists is decreasing,” added Atom Mkhitaryan.

Talking about the total number of university applicants this year, the expert said that there are 0 applicants in all universities in 150 majors, this has never happened before.

“Compared to the previous year, the number of applicants this year is 500 more, but the results will show whether those 500 people applied just like that, or at least they have knowledge, because usually one of the 2 applicants is not accepted. We will know everything after the exams are over,” stressed A. Mkhitaryan.

Speaking about the future fate of the National Academy of Sciences, Atom Mkhitaryan said that the president of the National Academy of Sciences will become an executive position and he will be elected by the presidency.

“The sessions of the presidency will be chaired by the president of RA, Vahagn Khachaturyan, the presidency will consist of 11 people, 1 of them, who will chair those sessions, is the president of the Republic of Armenia. 2 more people will be appointed by the Government and 8 people will be chosen by the Academy from its composition. Then, those 11 people will elect the president of NAS, who will be the executive head. This is written in the statute of the National Academy of Sciences, in which it was stated that 6 months after the approval of the law, the Government must approve the statute of the National Academy of Sciences, this statute was approved on June 18, with a delay of 2 months.

The National Academy of Sciences was a system, now the presidency of the academy remains, and more than 30 scientific research organizations have been removed from the National Academy of Sciences system and are subordinated to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology,” emphasized Atom Mkhitaryan.

—