Narrative arc:
Moral purpose → Human leadership → Collective responsibility
DAY 1
March 27, 2026
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE PEOPLE
17:30
Cultural Program
Creative Reflection on Purpose: A performance-based exploration that uses the arts to ground the forum’s technical and philosophical discussions in Armenia's cultural identity. This program reminds participants that the heartbeat of education is meaning, empathy, and shared heritage
MVF Band (Miqayel Voskanyan & Friends)
Ethno-Jazz and Folk-Fusion Ensemble
Celebratory Reception and Networking
Social Fabric Building: Informal networking to solidify the new partnerships formed throughout the day. Focuses on the "Partnership" pillar—recognizing that we only succeed when we work together.
16:50 – 17:30
16:30 – 16:45
Event Hosts
Gor Nazaryan
Chief Operating Officer, Teach For Armenia
Alexander Plato Hakobyan
Managing Director of Systems Innovation, Teach For Armenia
Closing Ceremony
Synthesizing the Day: A reflective wrap-up of Day 1's journey from individual moral purpose to collective responsibility, preparing the ground for the systems-level "Partnership" discussions of Day 2.
15:25 – 16:25
Speaker 1
Human rights defender, public speaker, and consultant
Speaker 2
11th grade Seroond student, Shahumyan secondary school
Speaker 3
Co-founder, TUMO Center for Creative Technologies; Education Leader
Speaker 4
Vigen Khachatryan
Coach, Armath Engineering Lab
Speaker 5
Executive Director, Children of Armenia Fund (COAF)
Lightning Speeches
Voices of Education — Storytelling Stage
What AI and Emerging Technologies are Truly Teaching Us About Learning: A series of rapid-fire talks from diverse leaders. These speeches move beyond technical specs to explore how new tools are forcing us to redefine human intelligence, pedagogical creativity, and the essence of the learning process.
14:05 – 15:20
Moderator
Lead of MA program in Teacher-Leadership at Teach For Armenia and Yerevan State University
Panelist 1
Dr. Lara Tcholakian
Education Leader and Education Systems Advocate
Panelist 2
Aušra Rutkienė
Professor, Vytautas Magnus University, Vilnius, Lithuania
Panelist 3
Vagharshak Matikyan
Head of Education Inspection Body at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS) of RA
Panelist 4
Tamara Sargsyan
Head of the Department of General Education at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS) of RA
Panel Discussion 1
Education as a Catalyst: How Teachers and Students Drive Systemic Change
How Teachers and Students Drive Systemic Change: Highlighting the "People" pillar. A showcase of real-world cases where classroom-level leadership and youth agency have sparked broader community and systemic transformation.
13:00 – 14:00
Stephen Jull
Education & Innovation Leader in AI and Emerging Technologies
Plenary 1
From Dependency to Agency: How AI is Rewriting the Education Contract
Human-Centered Innovation in Practice: An exploration of the "Practice" pillar. Focuses on how AI, data, and collective intelligence can serve as tools for ethical innovation, personalizing learning while accelerating inclusion.
12:00 – 13:00
Teach for Armenia’s Teacher Leadership Program Team
Coffee & Connection
Student Project Presentations: Grab a coffee, walk the gallery, and witness the future in the making. Beyond the technical specs of AI and emerging tools, the truest insights into the future of learning come from those living it. During this break, we invite you to explore a series of Student-Led Community Projects that redefine what is possible in the classroom.
These aren't just presentations—they are rapid-fire windows into how the next generation is using agency and creativity to solve real-world challenges across Armenia.
11:00 – 12:00
Senior Economist, World Bank Education Global Practice
Global Keynote 2
Classrooms Without Borders
Mental Health as a Lever for Systemic Change: Positioning mental health and child wellbeing not as standalone interventions, but as transformative levers for systemic change. This session explores how collective leadership addresses trauma and displacement—drawing on the Armenian response to refugee crises—to prove that education and social cohesion extend far beyond the classroom walls.
10:35 – 10:55
Larisa Hovannisian
Founder & CEO, Armenia Education Initiative
Global Keynote 1
Future of Schools or the Schools of Future
Evolving Learning Ecosystems: Exploring how the "People" and "Practice" pillars intersect. This talk focuses on how school environments must change to cultivate 21st-century leadership, creativity, and human connection in every student.
Zhanna Andreasyan
Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS) of the Republic of Armenia
Gor Nazaryan
Chief Operating Officer, Teach For Armenia
Opening Ceremony
The National Call to Action: Official remarks setting the stage for education as a force for national renewal. Focuses on the alignment between government vision and grassroots innovation to ensure every child in Armenia can lead.
10:15 – 10:30
10:00 – 10:15
Event Hosts
Gor Nazaryan
Chief Operating Officer, Teach For Armenia
Alexander Plato Hakobyan
Managing Director of Systems Innovation, Teach For Armenia
Introduction to the
Forum Concept & Orientation
Framing the Philosophy, Purpose, and Journey: An introduction to the two-day narrative. This session defines the "MindX" approach—reimagining education not as a static system, but as a dynamic space for co-creation and shared leadership.
Registration
Welcoming the Collective: Arrival and check-in for participants from all sectors. Attendees receive their forum materials and begin the journey of transforming from individual actors into a unified learning community.
09:00 – 10:00
Speakers
Session & Focus
TIME
