EDUCATIONAL ISSUES IN GEORGIA’S ARMENIAN SCHOOLS DEMAND ARMENIA’S ATTENTION
AZG Armenian Daily #080, 04/05/2005
Diaspora
The 20.000 pupils of Georgia’s 150 Armenian schools are taught their
native language and literature in accordance with Armenia’s educational
program. But the retraining of teachers of these subjects is provided
in Armenia on the level of a Sunday school. The subject of Armenian
history is left out of the program as the Georgian authorities
noticed disputable issues in there. Armenian teachers suggest to
begin the course with historic periods that are of no doubt and to
consider preparing a joint history textbook by Armenian and Georgian
specialists.
All of Georgia’s Armenian schools suffer textbook shortage and lack
of teachers’ professionalism. 8 Armenian schools of Tbilisi with
overall 900 pupils need to get on higher educational level. Partly
because of the low quality of education Armenian schools of Tbilisi
provide, our compatriots prefer entering Russian schools. Today,
90 percent of students of Russian departments within Georgian
universities are Armenians. This fact alarms Georgian Armenians
as the best professionals with Russian mentality are not demanded
in Georgia and they are presumably leaving for Russia. University
entrance examinations are going to be held according to a national
program, which presupposes that exams will be in Georgian. This
is another threat to the possibility of higher education in
Armenian. Georgia’s Armenian community asked Artur Baghdasarian to
provide free education not only at the Yerevan Pedagogical University
but at other universities of Armenia as well.
Artur Baghdasarian promised that RA foreign minister who is going to
visit Georgia this month will take a closer look to those issues.
By Nana Petrosian