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Head of the Higher Attestation Committee Lilit Arzumanyan has familiarized with the draft legislation on Armenian’s Higher Education, considers the draft law “imperfect”.

She deems the controversial provision suggestion transition from the two-tier system of doctoral degrees to one-degree system as “wrong”.

“The legislative provision has no justification. If the two-tier system of doctoral degrees is practiced in Russia and eight other European states, what is the reason beyond that transition to one-degree system, considering also the low demand in our Candidates,” Mrs. Arzumanyan said, adding: “35 Doctor of Science degrees are awarded annually, the people who are recognized for sustained contribution to scientific knowledge, so what is the reason to give them equal status with others”.

Presenting the data of the academic degree holders, Arzumanyan pointed out that the number decreased by 120 this year, saying the tendency is welcomed and conditioned by the “efficient work” of the Committee.

“The time for a thorough clean-up has come. There are no external factors for the decreased number. The places of PhD have not been limited, the Law on Military Service has not been modified either,” Arzumanyan explained, referring to the strict requirements set for the potential degree pursuers.

She also dismissed the claims about interferences in the Committee work, referring to cases when officials were denied a scientific degree failing to meet the set requirements.