At the official invitation of the Ayb Educational Foundation, Patrick Derham, the Head Master of Westminster School, is in Armenia.
Mr. Derham’s visit to Armenia has been organized within the framework of the rollout of the Araratian Baccalaureate educational program to schools in Armenia, for the purpose of establishing cooperation and exchange of practice.While in Armenia (from July 27 to August 2), Mr. Derham will visit Ayb School, as well as UWC Dilijan, Dilijan Central School, Tumo Center for Creative Technologies and American University of Armenia to get acquainted with the innovative projects and reforms carried out in Armenia’s education sector.
About Westminster School
Westminster School was established in the 11th-12th centuries. Today it is one of UK’s most reputable and leading academic schools and has the highest number (roughly 50%) of students going to Oxford or Cambridge Universities. The school is also known for the number of political figures that have studied there; among them are six of the UK Prime Ministers.
About the Araratian Baccalaureate
The Araratian Baccalaureate (AB) is an internationally recognized Armenian-language educational program, which was designed by the Ayb Educational Foundation and was further improved within the framework of the National Program for Educational Excellence (NPEE). In 2016, the Government of Armenia recognized the Araratian Baccalaureate as a state public education program in Armenia.In the same year, UK NARIC, one of the most reputable agencies of recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills, found the AB comparable to leading international educational programs such as the UK GCE A Levels and US Advanced Placement, and in 2017, the AB was added to the list of foreign international qualifications of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) (a UK-based organization that operates the application process for British universities) among such leading qualifications as the International Baccalaureate, the European Baccalaureate, etc.Starting September 1, 2018, the AB will be rolled out to a number of high schools in Armenian regions and Stepanakert. The program is carried out along with the Ministry of Education and Science in collaboration with Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education (IOE). The program will be offered along with the state program, granting students broader opportunities for the high school educational program and ensuring local and international recognition of their education, graduation marks, and diplomas.
