ArmeniaNow.com, Armenia
Lessons in Change: `Exceptional’ school year starts with confusion for
parents of first graders
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow reporter
When the new school year started two weeks ago in
Armenia, the opening bell rung sour notes for some
parents confused by republic-wide changes in the
education structure.
Beginning this year, Armenia converts from a 10-year,
to a 12-year program (see
;AID=1577&lng=eng&IID=1087).
Unaware of the new reforms in education, disbelieving their children
are ready for school life, or taking into account the unhygienic
conditions in some schools, many parents have kept children at home
who should be enrolling for the first time.
As the situation became apparent, the Minister of Education and
Science, Yerevan Municipality officials and other representatives of
the education discuss to how they can overcome this `exceptional year’
and the difficulties and problems that the new educational system has
created.
(To accommodate the conversion, this year should see two kinds of
`first graders’ – junior and senior – 5.8-6.5 year olds, and 6.5-7
year olds.)
`We have schools this year that have no first grade pupils or have
just a few, which causes problems. This is unprecedented,’ says Narine
Hovhannisyan, the Head of the General Education Department at the
Ministry of Education and Science.
Since Soviet times and until this year, children began school at 7. A
World Bank credit program has provided for the systemic changes,
however the mental shift has not yet penetrated.
The 12-year education is a requirement for all the countries that have
joint the Bologna Treaty. Armenia has joined the Treaty in 2005. The
purpose of the Bologna process in Europe is to create a joint
educational system. Armenia is the last among the CIS countries to
join the 12-year education system.
`This is based on international experience,’ says Nurijan Manukyan,
head of the General Education Supervision Department at the RA
Ministry of Education and Science. `The 10-year education system is
still operative in the African and Asian countries. And we are
committed to striding evenly with the world, we are committed to
advancement and every failed year will keep Armenia back from world
developments.’
Many Armenian parents, however, have chosen to be out of stride,
believing that six year olds should be concerned with toys instead of
books.
According to the data of the Ministry of Education and Science, the
number of first graders this year should have grown from about 40,000
pupils registered last year to at least 52,000 as the schooling was to
include also children aged 5.8 and older.
However, unlike the estimations of the experts who supposed to have
nearly 15,000 children of 5.8 and older, the preliminary surveys have
shown the number of children under 6 going to school so far, at nearly
10 times less.
`Many parents believe if they don’t take their children to school this
year but take them the next year the children will learn 11 years
instead of the 12,’ says the education department’s Hovhannisyan.
`Besides, many parents who were aware of the changes took their
children to school earlier, which also caused problems.’
Narine Hovhannisyan says there have been schools even in the central
part of the capital that have had just one or two applications for
admission to the first grade.
In Yerevan and particularly in the Kentron community, 10 of the 36
schools did not have a single `junior’ first class pupil on September
1.
`The law provides opening first grade even if there is just one pupil
registered, but in practice it is more suitable to encourage parents
to take their children to other schools if there are only 2 or 3
applications,’ says Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Kamo Areyan.
School principals disagree. They believe having no first grade and
sending children to other schools discredits their schools.
The experts at the Ministry of Education assert they need to take
measures to overcome the situation, adding that they have anticipated
problems that must be worked out over the coming years.
`If the school lacks first grade this year, it will not have graduates
either. If it does not have applications next year, it will lead to
its self-liquidation,’ says Manukyan. `The principals and the teachers
should care for attracting pupils to their schools.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
