Yerevan /Mediamax/. Teach For Armenia (TFA) together with Scholae Mundi Armenia Foundation (SMA) and Initiatives for Development of Armenia Foundation (IDeA) held Teach For Armenia’s 2016 Fellowship Fellow Inauguration Ceremony at the campus of UWC Dilijan College.

Thirty-three, highly-qualified young specialists – Fellows – selected by Teach For Armenia, will begin their teaching assignments at schools across Armenia’s regions during the upcoming academic year. Teach For Armenia currently cooperates with 40 schools in five regions across Armenia.

The thirty-three Fellows will join the 2015 cohort who began teaching last year at schools in Lori, Tavush, Armavir, and Gegharkunik regions across Armenia. This year’s Fellows will also teach at schools in the Aragatsotn region.

Co-founder of the Scholae Mundi Armenia Charity Foundation, IDeA Foundation, UWC Dilijan College and Chair of the TFA Board of Trustees Veronika Zonabend and CEO and Founder of Teach For Armenia Larisa Hovannisian, shared their words of encouragement with the Fellows.

“Each of you has assumed a great responsibility, and we are more than sure that you will successfully complete your mission. Remember that you have a unique opportunity to contribute towards the development of Armenia’s future generations. It is your responsibility not only to lead your students to greater academic heights, but to also unlock every child’s full potential,” said Larisa Hovannisian after the official inauguration of the Teach For Armenia 2016 Fellowship.

In 2016, Teach For Armenia and Scholae Mundi Armenia joined forces to ensure accessible and equitable education for every child in Armenia. Scholae Mundi Armenia’s mission is to promote the most advanced educational practices, which in the long run will become catalysts for social change in Armenia. Scholae Mundi Armenia Foundation currently sponsors other educational projects in Armenia, the largest of which is UWC Dilijan, which welcomed Teach For Armenia’s 2016 Fellows.

"Education is built on trust, and today we see an example of this trust: the trust of the ministry in this new initiative which has come to Armenia, the trust of young people who have agreed to devote two years of their lives to children, working in schools, in places where it is not easy to live and work, and the trust of the regional governors and school principals who agreed to take in a completely new set of people, which is unusual for schools. And I hope that in 2-3 years we will see that this trust is justified. Teach For Armenia, as part of the extensive international network Teach For All, brings to Armenia advanced ideas in the field of education, relevant in the modern world", said Veronika Zonabend.

Armenia’s Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan congratulated the participants and organizers with the launch of the 2016 TFA grant programme.

"I am proud that we have young people who see their duty in educating children in regional schools of Armenia. Through dedicating your time and effort to help schools who are experiencing an acute shortage of teachers, you show your commitment to serving the people for whom education has always been a priority ", added the Minister.

Teach For Armenia’s recruitment efforts are made both locally (from Yerevan and regions) and the Armenian diaspora. Teach For Armenia seeks versatile and passionate individuals with the academic, leadership, and interpersonal expertise necessary to be transformational teachers in Armenia’s most underserved schools. Teach For Armenia’s Recruitment and Selection team, with the ongoing expert support of its global partner Teach For All, has uniquely designed a rigorous admissions process that can identify applicants who possess the characteristics that will make them successful in the Fellowship, and ultimately, as teachers in classrooms across Armenia.

Before leaving for their designated regions, the Fellows will participate in Teach For Armenia’s intensive training program called Summer Institute, which thoroughly prepares them for their two-year teaching commitment. In addition to sharing their knowledge, skills and values with their students and colleagues, Fellows will also become active members of their respective communities.