The National Assembly is due to discuss a draft new ‘Law on Language’ which will allow the Ministry of Education and Science to open public schools that will use a medium of instruction other than Armenian; the country’s official language.
It is clear to everyone that this signifies the reopening of Russian schools along with a handful of English and other language schools.
In Soviet times, Russian was the dominant language of education and science in Armenia, and Russian-language public schools were systematically favored by Soviet authorities. This was part of the state policy aimed at the gradual cultural assimilation of non-Russian nationalities composing the Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenian was proclaimed the state language and all public schools reverted to Armenian as medium of instruction.
The government and, in particular, the Minister of Education Mr. Armen Ashotian who has taken this initiative have been severely criticized and condemned by various forces and personalities in the past 3 weeks. The Armenian blogosphere has been particularly active in this regard.
A group of young scholars were quick to submit a petition requesting the withdrawal of the draft law and calling the population to boycott foreign language schools, in case they open. Here, I am publishing the translation of the petition. I think, however, the text has some flaws:
The main problem with the petition is that it refutes the government’s initiative only on political grounds whereas there are pedagogical concerns that should be paramount.
For example, according to all scientific evidence as well as international and European declarations and recommendations, including those of the UNESCO, providing education in a child’s mother tongue is critical for the child’s effective learning.
It follows that Armenian children must be instructed in Armenian – I totally agree with the petition’s position on this matter. However, ethnic minorities in Armenia also need to be instructed in their mother tongues, or at least be instructed in a bilingual system. The issue of repatriated Diaspora students is equally important; these children must have the possibility to study in the public school where the language of instruction is the one they have been instructed in prior to their repatriation.
It is clear to everyone that this signifies the reopening of Russian schools along with a handful of English and other language schools.
In Soviet times, Russian was the dominant language of education and science in Armenia, and Russian-language public schools were systematically favored by Soviet authorities. This was part of the state policy aimed at the gradual cultural assimilation of non-Russian nationalities composing the Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenian was proclaimed the state language and all public schools reverted to Armenian as medium of instruction.
The government and, in particular, the Minister of Education Mr. Armen Ashotian who has taken this initiative have been severely criticized and condemned by various forces and personalities in the past 3 weeks. The Armenian blogosphere has been particularly active in this regard.
A group of young scholars were quick to submit a petition requesting the withdrawal of the draft law and calling the population to boycott foreign language schools, in case they open. Here, I am publishing the translation of the petition. I think, however, the text has some flaws:
The main problem with the petition is that it refutes the government’s initiative only on political grounds whereas there are pedagogical concerns that should be paramount.
For example, according to all scientific evidence as well as international and European declarations and recommendations, including those of the UNESCO, providing education in a child’s mother tongue is critical for the child’s effective learning.
It follows that Armenian children must be instructed in Armenian – I totally agree with the petition’s position on this matter. However, ethnic minorities in Armenia also need to be instructed in their mother tongues, or at least be instructed in a bilingual system. The issue of repatriated Diaspora students is equally important; these children must have the possibility to study in the public school where the language of instruction is the one they have been instructed in prior to their repatriation.
We will discuss these issues in more detail in the future. Here is the text of the petition:
__________________________________________________
“Fellow Armenians,
We, the undersigned, condemn the Armenian government’s decision to open foreign language schools (schools that will use a foreign language as medium of instruction) in Armenia. We call upon the Armenian government to halt this initiative. At the same time, we call upon Armenian citizens to boycott foreign language schools, in case they open.
The government’s argument that this initiative will improve the quality of our education and will make it more flexible is not only baseless, it is for us Armenians deeply humiliating as it assumes that the reason for the low quality of education in Armenia is not the education system itself but the medium of instruction, the Armenian language.
The opening of schools that will have a language other than Armenian as medium of instruction will not make the Armenian education more flexible and competitive but, on the contrary, more restricted and provincial. It will revive the humiliating mindset that existed in the Soviet era according to which the Armenian language is a less credible and less scientific language than, say, the Russian. Once again, Armenian will be considered as a local, provincial language in contrast to more ‘civilized’ Russian or another language.
This decision will automatically turn Armenian into a second-class language as it will be assumed that those who complete foreign language schools are better educated. This, together with other negative consequences, will create a situation in the job market where Armenian school graduates will be less competitive than those coming out of foreign language schools.
We, the Armenian intellectuals, insist that every resident of Armenia should be able to receive a good quality education in his/her mother tongue; to become an educated and open-minded person; and to grow to be a good specialist in his/her chosen field.
Armenian is one of the oldest and richest languages in the world; not short of any other language in terms of means of expression. To make the young generation more open-minded, educated, and competitive on international scale, we need to expand the instruction of foreign languages and improve the quality of education, in general, instead of changing the language of instruction to a foreign one.
Countrymen,
Let us not allow to be become, once again, a Russian or another country’s cultural colony.”
To read the petition in Armenian, please click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment