- Հայ
- Рус
- Eng
A training course for Diaspora Armenian teachers started at Armenian State Pedagogical University. Sixty teachers from 15 countries are participating in the course that will last until July 27. The course will be organized in six directions. Various cultural events, meetings and visits are foreseen within the framework of the event.
Welcoming the participants of the training course, ASPU Rector Ruben Mirzakhanyan assured everyone that the University would do its best to conduct the training at a proper level.
“The new political reality has kindled unbounded enthusiasm both in the country and in the Diaspora. We are confident that after witnessing the positive changes in Armenia you will introduce them in Armenian schools in Diaspora as well,” he said.
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, highlighted the image of a teacher, which, he said, ‘has been distorted for various reasons in recent years.’ It needs to be recreated and revalued, he stressed.
“The main problem facing Diaspora Armenians is the preservation of national identity. In this sense, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. Diaspora and Armenia have vital importance for each other,” the officials said, wishing productive and fruitful work to the participants.
His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan gave his blessing to the participants and said that the participating teachers have the will to store new knowledge in the homeland and transfer it to Armenian children in other countries. He said during the course they would try to reveal the educational needs in the homeland and the Diaspora. “We know that Armenian children should be brought up to preserve their identity with the help of language, spirit and culture. To be able to succeed in this mission we should combine efforts and find ways together,” Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan stressed. He thanked the participating teachers for carrying out the important mission in the Diaspora.
Ashot Melkonyan, Professor of Armenian State Pedagogical University, Director of the Institute of History of National Academy of Armenia, says he has visited numerous schools in the Diaspora and got acquainted with the educational problems from within. He is convinced that the creation of pan-Armenian textbooks is belated. "The prosperity of the homeland does not depend on the place where one lives. We should think in the same and preserve the Armenian identity wherever we live," he stressed. Ashot Melkonyan is convinced that Diaspora teachers have a great experience and hailed their desire to expand the scope of their experience and acquire new knowledge. “One is lucky to be a teacher because one feels spiritual tranquility seeing the success of his students,” he added.
The training course organized by the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science is held at the Spyurq [Diaspora] educational centre of the University.
Professor Suren Danielyan, the Director of the educational centre and Head of the Chair of New and Contemporary Armenian Literature and its Teaching Methods, also believes that the image of teachers should be reviewed both in Armenia and in the Diaspora.
“We all have the same purpose and we should realize that our task is not only to preserve the Armenian identity but also to understand the importance of the mission. We understand that it is difficult to work as a teacher in the Diaspora, especially considering the possibility of closure of Armenian schools and the need for language preservation,” he said. Suren Danielyan added that all problems arouse the desire to work together and the will to achieve the goal, and the first steps are made at the Pedagogical University.
Aelita Dolukhanyan, Head of the Chair of Ancient and Medieval Armenian Literature and its Teaching Methods, and a corresponding member of the RA NAS, is among the training lecturers. She is happy and proud to have the opportunity to work with Diaspora Armenian teachers. “The training is a necessity for all teachers and at all times,” she said.
