On December 23, 2024, the final meeting of the “Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced Children from Nagorno-Karabakh in the Educational Process By Increasing Their Psychosocial Resilience” program implemented by the Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center (RPPC) within the framework of the UNESCO “Mission for Assessing Support in the Field of Education in Emergencies” program, and the “Introduction of Mental Health and Psychosocial Health in Schools” program within the framework of the UNICEF Armenia “Strengthening Preparedness and Resilience in Emergencies” project was held at the UN Office in Armenia with USAID financial support.
The aim of the “Inclusion of Forcibly Displaced Children from Nagorno-Karabakh in the Educational Process By Increasing Their Psychosocial Resilience” program was to ensure the smooth integration of forcibly displaced children from Nagorno-Karabakh into the educational process by increasing their psychosocial resilience, to contribute to the preparedness of children studying in general education institutions for emergency situations and to increase their psychosocial resilience by enriching the knowledge of psychologists and teachers in the field of mental health and psychosocial support while improving and modernizing their professional skills, and also organizing regular meetings with children, educators and parents.
Deputy Minister of the RA Education, Science, Culture and Sports Araksia Svajyan, Director of the Republican Pedagogical-Psychological Center Lilit Mnatsakanyan, Head of the Department of Multilateral Policy and Development of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and General Secretary of the National Commission for UNESCO Davit Knyazyan, Representative of the UNICEF Office in Armenia Silvia Mestroni, and Acting Director of the NCEDI Foundation Artashes Torosyan delivered welcome speeches.
Welcoming the attendees, A. Svajyan attached importance to the programs implemented by UNESCO and UNICEF aimed at supporting children in difficult life situations, in particular, those forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. She noted that due to their efforts and cooperation the outlined processes become more targeted and goal-oriented. Summing up the carried out activities, Mrs. Svajyan touched upon the challenges still existing in the inclusion of displaced children in the educational process and the steps aimed at overcoming them, including the training sessions aimed at the continuous development of the capacities of educators and psychologists, emphasizing the activities implemented by RPPC. Ms. Svajyan highlighted the need to ensure the presence of psychologists in schools, particularly emphasizing the introduction of mandatory psychologist positions in general education institutions in 2024, as a result of which all students will be provided with psychological support.
RPPC Director L. Mnatsakanyan congratulated those present on the implementation of the Program and expressed her gratitude to the partners for their cooperation and effective activities. Emphasizing the importance of ensuring a systematic approach to the inclusion of children forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh in education, she spoke about the assessment of the needs of children, teachers and specialists working with them, the training sessions carried out using the course module developed by RPPC, monitoring, as well as the activities carried out with students.
UNESCO Representative Barrozo Hirata Janaina Hatsue, joining the meeting via video, welcomed those present, attaching importance to the cooperation and the work carried out, which already allows us to draw certain conclusions regarding their effectiveness and further steps.
RPPC Deputy Director Haykuhi Adamyan provided a detailed presentation of the Program, touching upon its components, training sessions and monitoring carried out within the framework of the Program. She informed the attendees that 6,834 teachers and 690 psychologists from 632 institutions were trained during the program, and about 37,920 students participated in the courses, with a total of 654 courses.
During the event, the presentation of “Increasing the Psychosocial Resilience of Children” manual, developed by RPPC within the framework of the Program took place, which is aimed at contributing to the implementation of quality programs for and with children, and improving teachers’ knowledge of mental health and psychosocial support. The content of the Manual is based on local and international experience related to psychosocial support and child protection in emergency situations. The Manual addresses the reasons for the importance of mental health and psychological support, the mechanisms for implementing this support in schools, and the structure of the Program for increasing children’s psychosocial resilience. It also includes exercises that are designed in accordance with the age development standards of learners, their interests, characteristics, and needs.
In the second part of the event, a panel discussion was held on the “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support” topic, the speakers of which were Chief Specialist of the General Education Department of the RA MoESCS A. Muradyan, Head of UNICEF Education Programs A. Poghosyan, National Consultant on MHPSS at the WHO Country Office in Armenia M. Khurshudyan, directors, psychologists, teachers, and students of various schools in Yerevan and the regions. They presented the work carried out by their organizations and upcoming programs in the field of mental health and psychosocial support for children.
Teachers, psychologists, and students from various schools expressed their views on the Program and its effectiveness, sharing the knowledge and skills they had gained during the courses. The students spoke with particular enthusiasm about the successes and achievements of the Program, in particular, they touched upon a number of methods with which, for example, they are able to overcome conflicts that arise during their studies.
Resilience is a capacity that enables one to overcome the challenges of life. Students who are resilient overcome the challenges of life by using their own resources, including social support, strategies, problem-solving skills, and the ability to find solutions.
23․12.2024
