In Armenia, as well as all over the world, a decrease in enthusiasm about knowledge, education can be observed. There are several reasons, of course. The first one is a change in the structure of the labor market. Young people in Armenia, for instance, do not desire to become chemistry or biology teachers, because there is no curiosity toward those subjects amongst teenagers. And curiosity lacks because those professions are not “prospective” im our country. A certain job being “not prospective” results in a decrease in the quality of teaching. In short, this is a whole chain, which is definitely connected to the economy, and determining where the end of the chain is is a hard job.
But I noticed another issue, which is partially connected to what I wrote above. The thing is that in the age of social media people do not want to waste time on gaining knowledge. As it is more appealing to express an opinion. To put it simpler – writing is easier than reading. No matter if you comprehend the problem or not. It is more important that you form your attitude with a lexicon appealing to other users. And you do not need any knowledge or intellectual reserve to do that.
If you can receive public admiration (often even authority) easily, why would you struggle, have sleepless nights and read, right? Furthermore, book readers can be ridiculed, bullied: “What are you, a wisenheimer? We all know what you actually are.” What do you think, how many people would like to receive education in these conditions? Education, not a diploma! Education does not raise one’s value nowadays at all.
My concerns over education appear every time I scroll through the Facebook feed. Recently it happened when I got to see the delighted reactions to the French Senate announcement. They reassured me – ignorance is not that innocent. It is a threat to our national security .
Aram Abrahamyan
