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From High School Classrooms to National Strategy: Inside the Tatevatsi Policymaking Challenge 2026

  • Writer: SED Team
    SED Team
  • 6 days ago
  • 4 min read


Summary

The Tatevatsi Policymaking Challenge 2026 brought together 48 exceptional high school students from Armenia’s regions and immersed them in the world of evidence-based public policy. Over three months, participants tackled complex national issues ranging from healthcare financing and public debt management to agricultural subsidies and climate resilience, using analytical tools typically taught at the university level. The program culminated in a high-stakes policy defense before leading experts from academia, government, and international organizations, demonstrating the remarkable potential of Armenia’s next generation of policymakers. More than a competition, TPC served as a powerful experiment in building the country’s future leadership through economic literacy, critical thinking, and data-driven decision-making.



From High School Classrooms to National Strategy


If you were to walk into a room and hear sharp, data-driven debates on universal healthcare models, public debt sustainability, or structural issues of agricultural subsidy schemes, you would probably assume you were standing in a government ministry or a high-level think tank.


Instead, you would be looking at 48 of the brightest high school students from across Armenia's regions.


On May 29, 2026, the pilot phase of the Tatevatsi Policymaking Challenge (TPC) reached its thrilling conclusion. Organized by the School of Economic Decisions (SED) within the Center for Behavioral Decisions (CBD), this initiative set out to solve a fundamental problem: how to cultivate the next generation of evidence-driven, analytically rigorous leaders right where they are needed most - in the regions of Armenia.


Here is the story of how a three-month academic experiment transformed high school students into real public policy analysts.



The Bootcamp: Graduate-Level Tools for Regional Youth


When the program launched in March, we made a deliberate choice: all eight participating schools would come from outside Yerevan. We wanted to equip regional students with the tools to analyze, question, and shape public policy.


Over three intense months, these teams didn't just learn textbook economic theories. They completed a rigorous curriculum that introduced them to tools most people don’t encounter until graduate school:


  • Public Policy Architecture: Breaking down government intervention models and learning how formal policy proposals are actually structured.

  • Evidence-Based Analytics: Diving into raw data from Armstat and applying analytical frameworks like Cost-Benefit Analysis, Comparative Analysis, and PESTEL.

  • Data Storytelling: Learning the art of translation; turning intimidating macroeconomic formulas into clear, human-centric public narratives.

  • Crisis Management: Preparing to defend their hypotheses under intense, professional cross-examination.



Real-World Challenges, Heavyweight Topics


We wanted to ensure the students weren't working in an academic vacuum. In direct coordination with the RA Ministry of Finance, we handed the teams real, complex national issues. The sheer academic rigor displayed by these regional schools was remarkable:


  • Noyemberyan High School (Tavush): Evaluated how to balance social aid with productivity-driven state incentives in agricultural subsidization.

  • Gyumri Economic High School (Shirak): Delved into public debt management, trying to map out safe borrowing thresholds and maximize ROI.

  • Byureghavan High School (Kotayk): Ran a comparative analysis of flat vs. progressive income tax models and VAT adjustments.

  • Vanadzor High School No. 11 (Lori): Explored climate change, designing financial structures for green growth, and ecological resilience.

  • Zoravan Secondary School (Kotayk): Tackled decentralization, finding ways to mitigate fiscal risks in community-led participatory budgeting.

  • Shinuhayr Secondary School (Syunik): Looked locally at agricultural efficiency, assessing the direct impact of state grants on rural economies.

  • Gavar State Agricultural College (Gegharkunik): Designed sustainable funding models for universal healthcare insurance against strict fiscal constraints.

  • Eurnekian Secondary School (Armavir): Focused on systemic healthcare risks, mapping out strategic risk management for national infrastructure rollouts.



The Ultimate Test: Facing the Experts


For the Grand Finale, the teams didn't just turn in papers; they had to defend their briefs before a heavyweight, elite panel of judges from academia, international development, and government:


  • Dr. Vache Gabrielyan – Dean of the Manoogian Simone College of Business and Economics, American University of Armenia (AUA)

  • Dr. Gurgen Aslanyan – Assistant Professor & MSE Program Chair, AUA

  • Armineh Manookian – Senior Economist at The World Bank

  • Arshaluys Harutyunyan – Head of the Macroeconomic Policy Department, Ministry of Finance of the RA


The defense sessions were electric. The judges asked sharp, uncompromising questions, testing the limits of each proposal. The students stood their ground, defending their arguments with data fluency, poise, and quick thinking that left the entire room stunned.



And the Winners Are...


While every single brief delivered was exceptional, five schools took home the top honors for pushing the boundaries of their respective categories:


  • 1st Place Champion: Noyemberyan High School (A masterful, bulletproof breakdown of agricultural subsidies)

  • Most Creative Solution: Zoravan Secondary School

  • Most Academic Solution: Gyumri Economic High School

  • Most Realistic Solution: Gavar State Agricultural College Named After Academician A. Tamamshev

  • Most Factual Solution: Vanadzor High School No. 11



Looking Ahead


"When you give young people the right tools, proper mentorship, and a platform that treats them like professionals, they don't just rise to the occasion; they completely redefine it."


The pilot phase of the Tatevatsi Policymaking Challenge has proven that the future of evidence-based policymaking in Armenia is incredibly bright. The program was a resounding success, and we are already seeing strong interest from other schools eager to join future cohorts.


By investing in economic literacy and policy design at the secondary education level, we aren't just running a competition, we are actively building the intellectual infrastructure and future leadership of the country.


Stay tuned as we prepare to scale this initiative for the next cycle!


 
 
 

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