The Schooling Center in Arates Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Yerevan “Mkhitar Sebastatsi” Educational Complex of the Ministry of ES of RA is a state non-profit organization which was established by the Government of RA in 1989.

The authorized state body of the Educomplex, the Ministery of ES of RA, has approved the Educomplex’s regulations (the latest one in 2017) : the aim, subject matter, structure and educational activities. The immovable property given to the Educomplex with the right of free use, is the state ownership. Author (state alternative) pre-school, primary, basic-comprehensive, secondary, vocational educational programs are worked out, organized in the Educomplex and spread by the order of the Ministry of ES of RA. The author educational program of the 2018 year includes support for the organization of general education in the enlarged community Yeghegis in the Vayots Dzor province which will have its continuation in 2019 as working out and experimenting a new model of organizing general education in enlarged communities.

The Schooling Center in Arates (hereafter: Schooling Center) as a school in nature, is a branch of the Educomplex  with its regulations approved by the established order.

In 1989 the Government of Armenia handed the village of Kzlgule, formerly inhabited by Azerbaijanians and now abandoned and isolated in the mountainous area with no roads, to ″Mkhitar Sebastatsi″ Educomplex to build the Schooling Center in Arates (Resolution 462 of the Council of Ministries of Armenian SSR).

The Government of Armenia defined that the only contractor for the design and construction works of the Mkhitar Sebastatsi school- complex institutions should be the research experimental school-complex ″Mkhitar Sebastatsi″. The Government assigned the General Directorate for Conservation and Use of Historical and Cultural Monuments the task to form the design and expenditure documents for the restoration works of Arates Monastery Complex. The Ministry of Road construction and Exploitation was assigned the task to construct the road Ghavushugh-Arates (Resolution 216, of the year 1990). Designing and constructing works of the Schooling Center in Arates began according to our educational task and by the order of the Ministry of People’s Education.  In the period of 1990-1992 the new road Hermon-Arates, the roads around the Schooling Center site were constructed and the foundations of the first constructions were laid. Parallaly, restoration designs of Arates Monastery were created by the order of the Ministry of Culture.

For years Arates has been a special educational environment, a real school in nature for learners, their parents and teachers. In every season of the year camps for learners of different age groups, Plein Airs, creative gatherings and educators’ summer camps with country studies and ecological hiking and swimming activities have been organized.

At the request of the Educational Complex, the Government declined the right of the Educomplex to the majority of the lands on April 29, 2004 with its resolution No. 636-N., leaving only the lands designed for constructions and activities of the Schooling Center. With the same resolution,  the Government obliged the local authorities of the village Hermon in Vayots Dzor province to carry out improvement works  in the territory of the Schooling Center and construct passages, walking paths or tourist trails not including them in the lands which were to be alienated.         The year 2017 was the beginning of the renovation of the Arates Schooling Center. Everything is done with the work and money of the learners and teachers of the Educomplex. It is an open project of the author educational program which creates a real opportunity for all Arates beneficiaries to participate. Partnership being promoted with Vayots Dzor Youth Center is a testimony to this.The activities of the Schooling Center has been defined by the regulations of the Educomplex. The activities are organized according to the yearly Educational Calendar and are elucidated on its educational blog.
Open camps in Arates Schooling Center, educators’ and youth gatherings also attract the learners, teachers in the Yeghegis Gorge, Vayots Dzor and other provinces in Armenia, Artsakh, partners of the educational exchange program in other countries: Georgia, Istanbul, France. We are open to partnership. You are welcome!