COAF Secures €10 Million Grant to Transform Education in Syunik Region

The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) has secured a landmark €10 million grant from the European Commission through European Investment Bank (EIB) Global to establish two SMART Centers in the Syunik region.

The grant was formalized at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on 25 October by EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, OlivérVárhelyi, and EIB Vice-President, Thomas Österos.

This partnership heralds a new era of educational excellence in Armenia's southern Syunik region, bringing world-class after-school education to the children of the region.

This groundbreaking initiative entails the construction of two innovative extracurricular education and teacher training centers in the cities of Kapan and Goris in the Syunik region of Southern Armenia. These cutting-edge facilities will provide high-quality after-school education and comprehensive services to up to 6,000 children and young adults aged 3 to 18. Students can access a wide range of after-school programs, including foreign languages, entrepreneurship, arts, engineering, athletics. Students will also benefit from the support of social workers, education counselors, study trips, and workshops from international experts.

"This is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to education in Armenia, to which we committed recently a €32 million budget support for the implementation of the education strategy," emphasized EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood, Olivér Várhelyi.

“Today an important step was taken towards the realization of the two non-formal education centers to be constructed in the Syunik Region of Armenia and to be operated by the COAF. This can help to further strengthen the links between formal and non-formal education as the latter is an essential auxiliary to the former. Moreover, the construction of these SMART Centers in Syunik will contribute to a bigger goal of developing the southern regions of Armenia,” said President of the Republic of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan.

"This is a pivotal investment in Armenia's future. COAF is swiftly working, upholding the highest standards of quality and innovation to ensure that all young Armenians receive the finest education and training possible," mentioned COAF Global Executive Head, Ara Barsam.