A Memorial of Rima Khachatryan, an Honored Pedagogue of the Republic of Armenia, was opened in Yerevan

A Memorial dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Rima Khachatryan, an Honored Pedagogue of the Republic of Armenia, was opened in Yerevan. The marble sculpture “On a Step Above Heaven” by a well-known Armenian sculptor David Minasyan was placed on the Nork Hills in Yerevan, Armenia.
Rima Khachatryan started her pedagogical career at the Medical College of Yerevan in 1965. Back then, there were only five medical colleges functioning in Armenia; in Yerevan (founded in 1921), Leninakan (1940), Kapan (1959), Vardenis (1963), and Dilijan (1961). 

Owing to her active efforts, the vocational medical educational system broadened its geography further in the Republic. Medical colleges were established in Kirovakan (1970), Gavar (1993), Hrazdan (1996), etc.

In 1987 as a finalist in the pan-USSR socialist competition, she was awarded an Honorary Certificate “for exceptional achievements in pedagogy” by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League.

To mark her momentous investment in the development of vocational medical education, long-term service and remarkable success, in 2005 she was decorated with the medal of the RA Ministry of Education and Science, and in 2009 – with the “Anania Shirakatsi” medal.

Mrs. Khachatryan always emphasized the importance of education not only as a means to provide the students with a limited knowledge and information to do a particular job, but also as a means to teach them how to live. She believed that the purpose of education should not be reduced to the acquisition of a certain set of skills, but rather the realization of one's potential and the ability to use those skills in the real life.

It was under the guidance and leadership of her that the new, result-oriented educational program within the specialization “Pharmaceutics” was developed and introduced across all medical colleges of Armenia in 2013.

She had also authored the “Inorganic Chemistry” and “Analytical Chemistry” textbooks in compliance with the criteria and toolset for elaboration of the new generation textbooks and supplementary literature. These two textbooks are remarkable for their ease of understanding, thorough, yet concise expounding of the fundamental concept of Chemistry aimed at developing students’ abilities of logical thinking, analytical and research skills, and are in line with didactic principles comlemented with exercises and questionnaires.

It did not take long before the aforementioned textbooks became chrestomatic, and were since included in the curriculum of nearly a dozen of medical colleges of Armenia as the basic learning manual.

In 2017, Mrs. Rima Khachatryan, an educator and Chemistry teacher of the Yerevan State Basic Medical College, was awarded the honorary title of Honored Pedagogue of the Republic of Armenia for her achievements in the field of education.