Mariam Torosyan: “I want to become RA Minister of Education and Science” …

Our interlocutor is Mariam Torosyan, founder and president of the NGO “Will, Justice, Unity, Courage”, participant of the “Teach for Armenia” program. After teaching within this program for two years, she is currently working as a Leader Development Manager at “Teach for  Armenia” Educational Foundation, at the same time lecturing at Artsakh State University.

The model, based on which the “Teach for Armenia” program has been created, has a history of 25 years. It is a successful program of social change that has been implemented by national independent organizations of over 40 countries around the world, creating a common platform for sharing best practices and knowledge, “says Mariam Torosyan, noting that in 2015 when the organization was looking for its first participants who would go to live and teach in remote villages, she thought –  who if not me?

“Before that, I was working at Sisian State College, and I always felt that there was a gap between school and college, and students coming to college  did not have any goals or dreams. I wondered just what happens to children at school causing to lost their dreams. To find the answer to that question I went to Martuni village of Chambarak to teach informatics. I went to see better what problems there are in our nowadays schools, and in the future to look for ways to resolve them.

In response to our question what she is doing today, she mentions that as a Training and Development mentor, she participates in a five-week summer training course organized by “Teach for Armenia”.

According to Mariam, she gained four new professions over the past few years, but she has found the field inspiring her after many experiences. “This is the sphere of education … The sphere where I am free to create, to discover new, to create a new future for my country. I’m really excited about the idea that I have the opportunity to provide high quality education for my students and change my way of thinking, creating a solid foundation for my country’s better future.”

In response to our question about the dream, she says: “Without politicization, I want to become Minister of Education and Science in order to ensure that every child has the opportunity to dream of a high-quality education in all Armenia’s smallest and most remote schools. To achieve my goals, I have set goals and steps at several levels. First of all, I want to develop a new educational model, to be able to test it by the example of several schools, then at the provincial level, then at the republican level. Let’s see how it will work out.”

Full text in Armenian