DILIJAN — On July 4, Teach For Armenia (TFA) together with Scholae Mundi Armenia Foundation (SMA) and Initiatives for Development of Armenia Foundation (IDeA) held Teach For Armenia’s 2016 Fellowship Fellow Inauguration Ceremony at the campus of UWC Dilijan College . Armenian Minister of Education and Science, Levon Mkrtchyan, representatives of Teach For Armenia’s partner schools, regional governors, and educational experts took part in the event.
Thirty-three, highly-qualified young specialists – Fellows – selected by Teach For Armenia, will begin their teaching assignments at schools across Armenia’s regions during the upcoming academic year. Teach For Armenia currently cooperates with 40 schools in five regions across Armenia.
The thirty-three Fellows will join the 2015 cohort who began teaching last year at schools in Lori, Tavush, Armavir, and Gegharkunik regions across Armenia. This year’s Fellows will also teach at schools in the Aragatsotn region.
Co-founder of the Scholae Mundi Armenia Charity Foundation, IDeA Foundation, UWC Dilijan College and Chair of the TFA Board of Trustees Veronika Zonabend and CEO and Founder of Teach For Armenia Larisa Hovannisian, shared their words of encouragement with the Fellows.
“Each of you has assumed a great responsibility, and we are more than sure that you will successfully complete your mission. Remember that you have a unique opportunity to contribute towards the development of Armenia’s future generations. It is your responsibility not only to lead your students to greater academic heights, but to also unlock every child’s full potential,” said Larisa Hovannisian after the official inauguration of the Teach For Armenia 2016 Fellowship.
In 2016, Teach For Armenia and Scholae Mundi Armenia joined forces to ensure accessible and equitable education for every child in Armenia. Scholae Mundi Armenia’s mission is to promote the most advanced educational practices, which in the long run will become catalysts for social change in Armenia. Scholae Mundi Armenia Foundation currently sponsors other educational projects in Armenia, the largest of which is UWC Dilijan, which welcomed Teach For Armenia’s 2016 Fellows.
“Education is built on trust, and today we see an example of this trust: the trust of the ministry in this new initiative which has come to Armenia, the trust of young people who have agreed to devote two years of their lives to children, working in schools, in places where it is not easy to live and work, and the trust of the regional governors and school principals who agreed to take in a completely new set of people, which is unusual for schools. And I hope that in 2-3 years we will see that this trust is justified. Teach For Armenia, as part of the extensive international network Teach For All, brings to Armenia advanced ideas in the field of education, relevant in the modern world”, said Veronika Zonabend.
She also underlined that the Teach For Armenia programmes could not be realized without private donors’ support. “Grants and the TFA summer school 2016 were organized with financial assistance,” Veronika added.
Armenia’s Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan congratulated the participants and organizers with the launch of the 2016 TFA grant programme.
“I am proud that we have young people who see their duty in educating children in regional schools of Armenia. Through dedicating your time and effort to help schools who are experiencing an acute shortage of teachers, you show your commitment to serving the people for whom education has always been a priority, ” added the Minister.
Teach For Armenia’s recruitment efforts are made both locally (from Yerevan and regions) and the Armenian diaspora. Teach For Armenia seeks versatile and passionate individuals with the academic, leadership, and interpersonal expertise necessary to be transformational teachers in Armenia’s most underserved schools. Teach For Armenia’s Recruitment and Selection team, with the ongoing expert support of its global partner Teach For All, has uniquely designed a rigorous admissions process that can identify applicants who possess the characteristics that will make them successful in the Fellowship, and ultimately, as teachers in classrooms across Armenia.
Before leaving for their designated regions, the Fellows will participate in Teach For Armenia’s intensive training program called Summer Institute, which thoroughly prepares them for their two-year teaching commitment. In addition to sharing their knowledge, skills and values with their students and colleagues, Fellows will also become active members of their respective communities.
About Teach For Armenia
Teach For Armenia’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for all children in Armenia by recruiting and training exceptional individuals to teach in underserved schools for a minimum of two years. The organization is officially partnered with Teach For All , a network of independent, locally led partner organizations in over 40 countries worldwide, who share common approaches and values in improving educational opportunities for children in their respective countries.
The Teach For Armenia Fellowship is a highly selective program. The organization selects an average of 10% of total applicants, ensuring that those who join the two-year program have a complete set of necessary skills and mindsets to unlock the full potential of each student they serve.
Apart from its short-term goal of achieving academic progress in classrooms today, in the long-term, Teach For Armenia aims to have a systemic impact on Armenia’s education system through its alumni network – a movement of passionate leaders, who, informed by their experiences teaching as Fellows in high-need classrooms, will work throughout their lives to ensure that every child in Armenia, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances has access to an excellent education. For more information, please visit the Teach For Armenia website .
About Scholae Mundi Armenia
“Scholae Mundi Armenia” (SMA) is a charity foundation established by entrepreneurs and philanthropists Ruben Vardanyan and Veronika Zonabend. Scholae Mundi Armenia together with Scholae Mundi Russia and Scholae Mundi UK comprise an international platform aimed at promoting the most advanced educational practices, which in the long run will become catalysts for social change in the world.
SMA sees education as a major force for boosting the development of Dilijan and Armenia. SMA’s approach is to bring the most capable and motivated people and organisations involved in education together with the students and teachers, across a variety of educational platforms. SMA nurtures, supports and unites projects like UWC Dilijan College, UWC National Committee of Armenia, Teach for Armenia and the Just Dilijan It! summer programme, as well as sponsoring several scholarships programmes providing Armenian children with world-class educational opportunities.
SMA Board of Trustees includes heads of major educational institutions actively working in Dilijan: UWC Dilijan College, TUMO, AUA, AYB, Research Centre of the Central Bank of Armenia, as well as the representatives of the local educational community. For more information please visit the Scholae Mundi website.
