AybPro Project-Based Learning Program Launched at Dilijan High School

As a result of partnership between the Keron Development Foundation and the Ayb Educational Foundation, the AybPro project-based learning program was officially launched at Dilijan High School. The program is supported by the Dilijan Municipality.

The program, based on the "learning by doing" principle, aims to equip students with in-depth subject knowledge while also fostering 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication and teamwork, proactiveness, and a sense of responsibility.

Since 2015, the AybPro has been successfully implemented at Ayb School as a component of the internationally recognized Araratian Baccalaureate program. Currently, through the partnership between the Ayb Educational Foundation and the Keron Development Foundation, it is also becoming available to Dilijan High School's students.

During the launch event, Vahe Gabrielyan, executive director of the Ayb Educational Foundation, welcomed the project participants and highlighted it as a significant achievement that Ayb School’s successful experience is spreading beyond Ayb and reaching the wider community. The Ayb Educational Foundation has extensive experience and a key role in the development of project-based learning capacities in public schools, working in collaboration with the RA MoESCS, UNICEF, the World Bank and other organizations. Today, the AybPro model, as a standalone project, extends beyond Ayb and is fully implemented in another general education school for the first time. "This not only creates new opportunities for Dilijan High School students to deepen their knowledge and enhance their competitiveness, but also instills a sense of responsibility to consider community issues and contribute to their solutions," the Foundation's director noted.

The event participants were also welcomed by Davit Sargsyan, head of Dilijan community, Ara Aramyan, principal of Dilijan High School, and Vanane Ararktsyan, executive director of the Keron Development Foundation.

Five specialists, selected through an open competition, presented their project concepts and the community issues their projects are designed to address. At the end of the event, students voted to select three focus areas and project leaders. As a result, three project-based learning clubs were formed at the school, where students, guided by a project leader for about a year, will develop and implement projects intended to tackle real community issues.

AybPro is currently a pilot program in Dilijan and, if proven successful, may later be introduced in other communities across Armenia.