PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS ON 12-YEAR EDUCATION
Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
23 Aug 2006
The NKR National Assembly will meet August 23 to vote to amendments on
adoption of 12-year secondary education to the law on education. The
Social Committee held parliamentary hearings and invited Hranush
Hakobian, chair of the Committee of Science, Education and Youth of RA
National Assembly, and Norair Ghukassian, the director of the National
Institute of Education of the RA Ministry of Education and Science,
as well as teachers from Artsakh, besides members of parliament and
government. Speaker Ashot Ghulian said the topic of the hearings is
thought to be a possible way of carrying out educational reforms. And
since the institutions, which are involved in the reforms, have
discussed it, the problem now is to sum up the opinions and standpoints
expressed so far. Ashot Ghulian did not give an evaluation, instead
he drew attention to the importance of the issue, since education
is a primary problem for the young republic where the intellectual
potential is a national value. The NKR minister of education Kamo
Atayan, the author of the bill, presented the amendments to the law on
education. In accordance with these amendments, children go to school
at the age of 6, secondary education lasts 12 years and is divided into
primary school (1-4 grades), middle school (5-9 grades) and high school
(10-12 grades). Hranush Hakobian said, "At any rate, we had to answer
a question: do we want to become enclosed here, not to have relations
with the world and remain alone with our system of education or build
an open society and become integrated with European organizations? I
think we have already answered this question in 1990-1991, consequently
we must be ready for reforms which lead us to Europe, at the same
time preserving what is national and what is traditional." Hranush
Hakobian emphasized that as a result of the reform 20-30 8th
grade students will not be admitted to high school. Therefore,
it was decided to restore vocational colleges. "The law provides
for vocational classes where the children will learn crafts. There
will also be classes specializing in natural, humanitarian and other
sciences," said Hranush Hakobian. Speaker Ashot Ghulian, summing
up the results of the hearings, said the impression is that we are
compelled to adopt the same system. "Nobody compels us, and we have
an alternative. In two days, we may reject the amendments to the law.
But is it worthwhile to waste another two years, especially that
we cannot solve our problems ourselves, publish textbooks, work out
curriculums, and have a separate system of education in Karabakh?" said
A. Ghulian. He said these are essential changes, not just adoption of a
12-year secondary education. He proposed meeting again in the middle
of the academic year and discuss the advantages of the reform. He
asked not to be conformists and not to accept this system as an
obligation. Member of Parliament R. Dadayan said the schools need
special furniture for children aged 5-6. Hranush Hakobian said last
year 12 thousand children aged 5 were taken to school last year in
Armenia, but the directors of schools did not have such concerns. MP
A. Sargissian, the leader of the parliamentary group ARF-Movement 88
said the reform will not be effective unless the problem of nursery
schools is solved. According to him, integration with the European
values is both a progressive step and a dangerous step as it leads to
alienation from national values. As for the concerns about necessary
conditions at schools, it was said that the "challenge" was made,
and it means that the government is attending to it.
SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN.
23-08-2006