Working in Armenia on international recognition of a new Baccalaureate
Cambridge Assessment International Education is helping Armenia to gain widespread recognition for its new academic qualification.
The challenge
The Araratian Baccalaureate Examination Center (ABEC), established by the privately-owned Ayb Foundation, has developed a new school-leaving qualification for Armenia. The Araratian Baccalaureate, which is taken in Armenian, includes maths and science subjects which are equivalent to Cambridge International A Levels.
Initially available only in the Ayb Foundation school, the Baccalaureate will now be rolled out into selected state schools under the National Programme for Educational Excellence (NPEE). The law in Armenia has now been changed so that local universities recognise the Baccalaureate, but to have real value for students wanting to study abroad, it is necessary to receive formal recognition from universities and employers and in the countries where Armenian students hope to study or work.
Our response
As an examination board with significant experience of recognition strategies, we have developed a step-by-step process which we used with ABEC. We began with an in-depth needs analysis based on an understanding of both the wider Armenian education system (focused on the last three years of school) and the new qualification. We considered how the Baccalaureate would be used in Armenia, and in those countries of most importance for students planning to move abroad.
In the second stage of the Cambridge process, ABEC staff attended a workshop, held in Cambridge, UK, to discuss the strategy in more detail, and to clarify the recognition requirements of universities and employers in Armenia, and in the target countries.
To support this, the ABEC delegation met UK NARIC, the UK body which provides official equivalence for international qualifications, information which is then used by UK university admissions staff. A meeting was also held with UCAS (the UK’s University and Colleges Admissions Service) to discuss the inclusion of the Baccalaureate within the UCAS system.