Political Motivation For Opening Foreign-Language Schools?

POLITICAL MOTIVATION FOR OPENING FOREIGN-LANGUAGE SCHOOLS?

Tert.am
17.05.10

There cannot be two types of schools in the Republic of Armenia
as it will bring about discrimination, Director of the Armenian
Mkhitar Sebastatsi Education Complex Ashot Bleyan (R) said at a press
conference today.

According to Bleyan the second reason that there cannot be
foreign-language schools in Armenia is that the state has assumed a
commitment under the Constitution to promote and spread Armenian as
the language of science, culture, education and communication.

"This is a liability for all the citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

The state cannot have one strategy for a group of citizens and another
strategy for another one," said Bleyan.

He also said he was sure that the development of the child as an
Armenian requires that the educational process be carried out in
Armenian, while foreign languages can be promoted by other programs.

Even more, according to Bleyan, the new high school system is
sufficient enough for an in-depth study of foreign languages.

Writer and translator Hakob Movses (L), also present in the same press
conference, drew attention to the aim of creating foreign-languages
schools – whether it has a cultural or a political objective.

"The reasons of all this should be understood, their motivation. I
am afraid that all this is being done not due to domestic demands,
or cultural ones … not for social-economic reasons so that an
Armenian businessman would communicate an English one in English,"
said Movses, adding that there is some other reason and compulsion,
such as overflowing Armenian with the Russian language.

According to Movses in state-sponsored schools the educational
process should be carried out in Armenian, while the choice for
private schools should be left freer.