A study financed by the Council of Europe has found that education fraud increased in Armenia in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study “Developments and Detection of Education Fraud: Risks and Responses in the COVID-19 Age” was developed in May – December 2021 by a team of experts from the National Information Centre on Academic Recognition and Mobility of Armenia (ArmENIC) and a Council of Europe expert, with the financial support of the Council of Europe.

According to the study, corrupt practices and various forms of education fraud that are common in Armenia are due to a wide range of factors and some of them go back to the pre-1991 past.

The study authors write: “The unpreparedness of the education sector to act in a crisis has led to an increase in occurrence of various forms of education fraud. The rapid technological changes brought about by COVID-19 have also contributed to the development of this phenomenon.”