Household costs of education in Armenia
An assessment of household spending on education to inform financing and human capital development in Armenia
- Հայերեն
- English
Highlights
UNICEF conducted an assessment of household spending on education in Armenia between 2018 to 2021 to estimate the household cost of education. The assessment informed the analysis of the state of education system and contributed to the thinking around opportunities for human capital development in the country.
The assessment, carried out as part of UNICEF-UNDP joint SDG global finance initiative, utilized multiple methodologies aligned with international standards from OECD, UNESCO, and the World Bank.
Results reveal that Armenian households are a major yet underrecognized source of education financing, with spending concentrated on higher and general education. In 2021, 47 per cent of household education expenses went to higher education, 35.7 per cent to general education, and a much smaller share to preschool (7.8 per cent) and vocational education (7.4 per cent). A total of 79.4 per cent of households covered tuition and other mandatory fees, while tuition alone made up 39.5 per cent of spending. Uniforms and other clothing counted for 27.7 per cent, and 18.2 per cent was spent on food, transportation, and accommodation.
The report underlines the lack of a national assessment framework that would look at both total national and household spending on education. As next steps, the report recommends to consider establishing national education accounts, harmonize national research instruments with UNESCO standards, and conduct regular financial assessments using global methodologies.
