Talking about implementation of international educational programs during a press conference at the National Press Club (NPC) yesterday, Armen Ashotyan, the Minister of Education and Science, said that they pose no threat, and predictions that “the Kremlin or Freemasons are involved” didn’t correspond to the reality. The minister also mocked his opponents that they were engaged in anti-Russian propaganda, because at the Kvant College, for example, there were English classes within the International Baccalaureate Program, but it hadn’t occurred to any opponent so far to organize a proper picket against it. www.aravot.am asked Aram Apatyan, a member of the initiative group We Are Against Foreign Schools, to make a comment on this. “With regard to methods of struggle, whether it will be a picket or something else, the initiative decides what is more efficient. We haven’t organized a picket outside any school, including Kvant. Let Mr. Ashotyan keep his advice on how we should organize our work to himself, if, of course, his goal is not provocation. By the way, we have tried to work with the Kvant College, telling the administration that it would be more efficient, if the International Baccalaureate Program was translated into Armenian and was carried out that way. Accusations of being anti-Russian or against any other nation are groundless, because we encourage investment by all foreign countries into instruction in Armenian, if their purpose is Armenianization of programs in foreign languages and their spread. We think that it is a very positive step that those countries encourage instruction of their languages at Armenian schools. A clear example is the language instruction program prepared by the Republic of China that is adopted by an Armenian school; if I am not mistaken, Germany is developing such a program too,” Mr. Apatyan said. According to the member of the initiative group We Are Against Foreign Schools, “There are countries, which use other methods, i.e. try to spread their languages at the expense of Armenian. It is not only Russia, but also France, perhaps other countries too; there also are private organizations, be it the school in Dilijan or the Kvant College. They take other paths, rejecting Armenianization of the program in a foreign language, its localization and adoption by Armenian schools, which we do not accept. It leads to discrimination, since the number of such schools is limited, not everyone interested can study. Besides, their programs don’t exist in Armenian, and people prefer to send their children to those schools.
“Thus, the role of Armenian gradually diminishes. And a language is strong when it is used in every sphere. Limiting the number of spheres of language use, we will eventually reach a state, in which the Western Armenian is these days; it is on the UNESCO list of endangered languages. The state should draw a conclusion from that situation and realize that one should change the work style, encourage foreign countries to contribute to Armenianization of foreign programs and their instillation in the Armenian educational system.” According to Aram Apatyan, it is understandable that subjects like history of Russian culture should be taught in Russian, and not just the grammar of the language should be taught. The same thing applies to other countries’ cultures.
As to Armen Ashotyan’s mockery, our interlocutor said: “One can mock everything, using different methods. It seems to me that criticism should have an addressee and be based on rational evidence. People mock, when they don’t have evidence, trying to conceal their conceptual untenability. If Mr. Ashotyan has a conceptual response, we will be very glad to familiarize ourselves with it, but we have never heard such a response in the past few years. Let us remind that the justification of foreign schools provided by the Ministry of Education
and Science was a half-page notice, the summary of which is as follows: the Ministry of Education and Science cannot guarantee high-quality education, so let foreigners come and satisfy that demand. I cannot recall better proof of untenability given to opponents.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
