In recent weeks, setting aside all our other national concerns, protests have been organized against the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia, Arayik Harutyunyan, to protest the decision according to which, within the homeland’s higher educational institutions, the Armenian language and Armenian history will no longer be compulsory subjects.
Despite the clear explanations given that special emphasis will be placed on making the teaching of Armenian studies subjects in schools more qualified and substantive, and that applicants for admission to higher educational institutions will henceforth be required to pass an entrance examination in the Armenian language (whereas until now school transcript grades have been deemed sufficient), groups of individuals, conscious and unconscious, have come forward with noisy protests.
It is also appropriate to note that the homeland’s schools currently have a twelve-year curriculum, in contrast to the ten-year program of the not-too-distant past. Consequently, Armenian studies subjects are taught for two additional years.
The new legislation does not exclude the possibility that any higher educational institution may include the Armenian language among its compulsory subjects, if the academic council governing that institution deems it appropriate. On the other hand, mandatorily including the Armenian language in professional study programs would inevitably mean discounting something from the professional subjects otherwise taught.
There is no prestigious university in the world where narrow professional study programs mandatorily include the language of that country.
The requirement of a clear level of language proficiency, however, can quite logically form part of the fulfillment of admission conditions.
It is deeply offensive that the protesters have never been concerned with the quality and level of Armenian studies subjects taught in schools and, until now, in higher educational institutions. They are not concerned with their deficient knowledge of the mother tongue. They are not concerned, in general, with the many glaring phenomena that vulgarize our national identity.
It is also regrettable that they do not address, or try to ignore, the fact that unnecessary and untimely agitation is against our supreme national interests.
It is now evident that the stimuli agitating those who incite this turmoil and confusion are not the Armenian language and Armenian history.
The course of present circumstances demands that we, as a nation, UNCONDITIONALLY have a much more responsible consciousness and stance. It is the IMPERATIVE of the times to finally shed all divisive tendencies.
In the Name of the
Central Board of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
Raffi Balian | Secretary
Mike Kharapyan | Chairman
