The Deputy Director of Kuwait National School, Karo Arslanyan, who was taking part in the opening of the 8th Pan-Armenian Educational Conference, mentioned that he was a native Syrian-Armenian, however, he lived in Kuwait for 12 years and then moved to Armenia. He informed that currently 400 pupils studied in their school from preschool age to the 12th grade. As stated by Arslanyan, they had had 600 graduates in different years, and in two years they were going to celebrate the 60 years of the foundation of Kuwait National School.
Speaking about the preservation of Armenian identity, the Deputy Director said that the school has had a serious role in preserving the Armenian identity, inasmuch as it was the sole everyday school in the countries of Arabian Gulf, where Armenian history, language and literature, history of religion are taught.
We learnt from him that in the beginning they used the textbooks printed in Syria, however, two years ago they expressed a wish to bring the programs of Kuwait National School in compliance with the programs of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Armenia, and steps were already initiated towards that.
Presently they cooperate with Anania Shirakatsy Lyceum functioning in Armenia, by carrying out joint events. “Kuwait, as a country, faced a disaster in 1990, Iraqi invasion took place, before that approximately 1000 pupils studied in our school that moved to Aleppo, Syria, Armenia and other countries with families after Iraqi invasion. After a while the number of pupils increased again. In the previous 7 years, connected with Syrian conflict, we faced a decrease of the number of pupils again, as many of them moved to Armenia. I also live in Armenia with my wife and child,” said our interviewee, who continues working in Kuwait.
He informed that only Armenian children studied in their school, Armenian community of Kuwait speaks Armenian. “Our community has an interesting model; Armenians are gathered around the church and the school,” highlighted Karo Arslanyan.
Nerses Sargsyan, the Director of Kuwait National School was also present at the opening of the conference. He emphasized the conference in his speech, saying that the educational institutions of the diaspora have an issue of stepping in line with the contemporary educational standards and wish to tie their future with Armenia and Artsakh. He also said: “Armenian educational institutions are closed before our eyes in diaspora every day, and we should feel the strength andthe support of Armenian statehood and the Ministry of Education and Science.”
Gohar HAKOBYAN
