In tandem with our economics courses, Junior Achievement of Armenia (JAA) offers a cutting-edge civics education curriculum. Begun in 1999, today civics is taught to nearly 160,000 students in all 1,400 schools in Armenia. JAA reaches 170,000 young people annually through both our civics & economics courses.

The curriculum teaches human rights in 8th grade, basic civics in 9th grade, and advanced civics/state's rights in 10th grade. Among our greatest accomplishments is the 9th-grade civics textbook that was developed, researched, and authored by our very own executive director, Armine Hovannisian. This textbook, funded by the World Bank with approval from the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science, is used by all Armenian high schools and is considered the centerpiece for civics education.

Recognized for her authority in this area, Mrs. Hovannisian has led the national reform effort in civics education by serving as the co-chairperson of a curriculum development committee appointed by the Minister of Education and Science.

The national implementation of civics education has been made possible through a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. We are pleased to have recently received USAID approval to extend the grant through August 2005. This extension will support t

When the grant concludes in 2005, the Ministry of Education and Science will assume the administrative and financial responsibilities of the program. With private funding, JAA's key role in the future will be to provide advanced teacher training, innovative extracurricular programs, increased access to the Internet, international competitions, and supplemental civics materials.