Since independence Armenia education was held in particular esteem in Armenian culture which changed fastest of the social services. As there is no law on education in Armenia the Ministry of Education is the sole body for issuing accreditation to the institutions.
In the communist era, Armenian education followed the standard Soviet model of complete state control (from Moscow) of curricula and teaching methods and close integration of education activities with other aspects of society, such as politics, culture, and the economy.
The system of education of Armenia includes pre-school, general secondary, special secondary, vocational (professional-technical), higher and post-graduate education. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia the secondary education is compulsory and free of charge. Secondary Education in the republic contains 3 levels. Duration of study in secondary schools is 10 years.
The first level of Armenia education is elementary school (1-3 grades) to provide literacy for pupils. The second level of Armenia education is basic school (4-8 grades) to implementation of general education. The third of Armenia education level is high school (9-10 grades) which offers complete secondary education, and is realized in the following forms:
- General education study
- colleges (deepened study of some subjects)
Graduate students of the high school obtain certificate of complete secondary education in Armenia.
There are 1418 secondary schools, 25 state colleges, 4 academic schools, 11 private high schools, 15 private schools (approximately) in the Armenia education spheres.