Students of top 50 global universities by Shanghai Rankings to be exempt from military service in Armenia
As RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan noted in her speech, the need to adopt the bill stems from the opportunity to utilize the knowledge of citizens studying at these universities. According to the minister, RA citizens have been receiving deferments since 2018. Currently, approximately 650 citizens have received the opportunity to continue their education at a number of prestigious universities. About 570 of them are continuing their studies.
Andreasyan noted the need to improve the tools for ensuring the return of these citizens to the Republic of Armenia and the utilization of their potential in science, economics, public service, and other fields. "Given the current situation, the following approach was discussed and proposed: citizens who received a deferment and completed their studies at one of these universities will have the opportunity to work in a specialty determined by the RA government for at least three years after graduation, and will be exempt from mandatory military service upon completion of this work," noted Zhanna Andreasyan. She added that attracting citizens educated at prestigious universities to the Armenian labor force would be effective. This, as the head of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture noted, would thus be another step toward developing human capital.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), better known as the Shanghai Ranking, is compiled by the Asian agency ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. This ranking focuses on the scientific and academic performance of universities to reduce the influence of the specific of national education systems on the final grade. Over 1,200 universities participate in the study, and only 500 are included in the list of the best universities in the world. It is especially useful for those planning an academic career.