For Ani, a fifth grader in Capan, a city in the Armenian valley, going to school these days is fun. Her new textbook has plenty of colorful pictures and up-to-date information. Her school offers lots of creative activities such as theatre, dance and music. Ani is learning how to use a computer and is connected to students all over the world through the Internet.
But in 1998, few textbooks could be found in classrooms in Armenia, and those that were available were old and shabby leftovers from the Soviet era. The World Bank, together with UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), gave the government $15 million for the Education Financing and Management Reform project that currently covers all Armenian schools up to tenth grade.
Under this initiative, a foundation was created to share the cost of textbooks among the schools, the government, and the students’ parents. Since then, new classes have been added and students can now learn Armenian history and literature, civic education, information technology, and the arts.
When the project started, Armenia’s education system was on the verge of collapse. The textbook foundation was the first step in a quest to have the right to a good education for an entire generation of children. For children like Ani, this has already made a real difference to their lives.
Related Links:
 Armenia
UNICEF
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Updated: September 2002
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