On November 23, the Lori Political Discussion Club organized its fifth meeting, which was dedicated to the Academic City concept and its potential impacts on the development of the region.
The main speakers of the meeting were Vache Gabrielyan, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at AUA, and Aram Pakhchanyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ayb Educational Foundation.
In his speech, Vache Gabrielyan touched upon the international experience of similar programs, as well as discussed the challenges and possible solutions related to localizing the concept. He especially emphasized the impact of the creation of the Academic City on the economic and educational development of the regions.
Aram Pakhchanyan presented the potential impacts expected on the scientific community. He also touched upon the risks threatening Yerevan and the regions, noting that currently there is still no detailed plan for the Academic City concept.
The event was attended by guests from the Embassy of the Netherlands, representatives of the International Human Rights Legal Center NGO, as well as participants of the Future Leaders Academy program. Representatives and students of the Vanadzor branch of ANAU also participated in the meeting.
In the second part of the discussion, the participants raised questions about the future of private and interstate universities, the risks facing regional universities, and other possible impacts of the program.
The Lori Political Club operates under the auspices of the “NGO Center” Civil Society Development NGO. The launch of the Political Club was implemented within the framework of the project “Launching Political Clubs in Border Regions of Armenia,” implemented by the Caucasus Institute with the financial support from the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.