Last year, Ashot Mashuryan, a biology teacher at High School #4 in Goris, barely managed to gather participants for the “Agrotechnology” group training program, which is part of the “Horizons” Dual Education Program of the “My Step” Foundation. According to him, many participants were skeptical and thought it was going to be an average club, but now the teachers are filtering and considering which pupil will join the group.
“The group training program is sparking more and more interest every year, and there are currently 40 children in the “Agrotechnology” group (10th, 11th and 12th graders). It’s already hard for the teachers because we are compelled to make selections and place emphasis on quality. We select the children who have an idea of agriculture and will be able to ensure better results in the near future and who are interested in opportunities or modern, precision agriculture,” says the head of the “Agrotechnology” group at High School #4 in Goris.
Ashot Mashuryan and his pupils have been participating in the “Horizons” Program for the past two years. According to the teacher, the children were offered to prepare design works on which they are currently working. Mashuryan adds that there are pupils who have their own business plans that are particularly devoted to greenhouses and the growing of wheat. He says dual education shapes a rather interesting environment and helps change the children’s notion of instruction.
“It is very important for the programs in schools to have the practical component. The children have quite a lot of knowledge, but they have trouble using this knowledge in practice. They can explain the chemical ingredients of soil wonderfully, but when it comes time to be in contact with the soil, they will have different kinds of feelings. In this regard, it is also very important to have laboratories in schools,” Mashuryan added.
High School #4 in Goris pays special attention to natural science subjects. In the course of this year, the School’s pupils participated in a number of festivals and Olympiads, presented their initiatives and held winning positions. High School #4 in Goris has received a telescope and tents as gifts from the “My Step” Foundation. Since Goris is known for its foggy days, the School is waiting for favorable weather; the pupils and the teacher have already agreed that when the sky clears up, they will take their tents, go out of town and discover the secrets behind celestial life.
