In case the “metallic curtains” made limitations during the Soviet Union times, now only Embassies can make some limitations. There have been a lot of cases when young people got admitted into universities abroad but couldn’t go there (we wrote about this in one of our previous publications). “We have never had this kind of problem till now. We have worked with the Embassy of Hungary in Moscow, and the Embassy of Britain in Yerevan. We get a visa especially from the Embassy of Britain in Armenia in a matter of days. The important thing here is that our participants always return to Armenia and they don’t stay in Europe illegally”, -said the manager of “Open Society Institute” Anahit Papikyan.
“Open Society Institute”, also known as SOROS fund, has a branch in Armenia operating since 1996 and implements programs in social and educational fields: education, arts, Internet, law, civil society, public health care. These are all grant programs and are implemented with the help of non-governmental organizations. Grants are given also to individuals. The program is designated for school and university graduates and for those specialists, who work in humanitarian and social fields and want to get educated and make analysis in other countries. “Currently we don’t have programs for school children, we have programs for students. The first one is the program entitled “Central European University”. Here students can get a magistrate’s degree within one year study and a doctor’s degree within a 3-6 years study program”, – said A.Papikyan. They send the applications directly to Hungary. This year the deadline is January 6. After the first stage students have to pass a TOEFL exam and take other professional exams too. They invite a special expert to conduct the examinations. The final decision is made after the interview with the applicants. “It is a pity but now there are not many programs that are financed and provide stipendium. But there are also sponsored programs. In some cases the applicants may partially take care of their expenses”, -said A.Papikyan.
There is another educational program in Britain, which is connected with human rights. This program is designated for one year study and provides magistrate’s degree. With the help of the university in Hungary, this university and OSI take care of the expenses there. In this case it is preferable for the applicant to have work experience in non-governmental organizations.
Each year, 14-15 people leave for Europe to study there with the financial and technical support of SOROS fund. According to Mrs. Papikyan, though the number of applicants has cut down, there is development in quality during the last period. “Now there are more people who know English well”, -said Mrs. Papikyan.
All programs, besides a couple, start in autumn. There are two new programs this year, one of which gives students a chance to study at Oxford University, get a magistrate’s degree and make analysis there.
Currently, unemployment is a serious problem in Armenia and even if the student has a high education he or she may still not find a job. “Those people who finish their studies and return to Armenia try to find a job at international organizations. They have more chances than the others. We have programs for graduates to support them in organizing grant programs. We have to not only prepare good specialists, but also take care of them in the future. These are still the first steps. We have to create good conditions for specialists to make them stay here”, -said A.Papikyan.