MINISTRY OF DIASPORA READY TO ASSIST ARMENIAN COLONIES’ EDUCATIONAL CENTERS

Noyan Tapan

Jan 27, 2009

The Armenian educational centers of the Diaspora besides giving
education have a more difficult and responsible mission: they should
educate the young generation living far from the homeland by the
Armenian spirit. RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobian stated this
at the January 27 online meeting with representatives of Los Angeles
Armenian educational centers. She expressed Ministry’s readiness to
assist them in that difficult issue. According to H. Hakobian, virtual
education is of much importance in the issue of educating Armenians in
the Diaspora by the Armenian spirit. She said that the Armenian General
Benevolent Union has already created a virtual college with YSU.

According to H. Hakobian, the Ministry will organize a program
under the title Come Home to contribute to the important issue of
preservation of Armenian identity, within the framework of which
groups of 15-25-year-old Diasporan Armenian young people will visit
Armenia. During the visit they will live in Armenian families,
will take part in Armenian language courses, will get acquainted
with historic-cultural monuments. "During the days of visits
everything should be done so that those young people’s abstract,
imaginary homeland will become real and they return as Armenians," H.
Hakobian said.

Attaching importance to more frequent organization of such meetings,
the Minister said that the problems of teaching the Armenian Language,
Armenian History, History of Armenian Church subjects in the Diaspora
should be discussed jointly.

The issue of making more attractive the teaching of the Armenian
Language subject was raised by representatives of the Armenian colonies
of Diaspora. According to them, under the current high technologies
for children it has become more attractive to study English than
Armenian. It was mentioned that the RA Ministry of Education and
Science plans also to publish the textbooks in the form of disks.

During the meeting it was proposed creating a commission of Armenian
educational centers’ representatives, working out and submitting
programs.