Monday, June 27, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Controversy Over Proposed Educational System Overhaul: A Coincidence or By Design?

by Asbarez Staff
August 4, 2020
in Armenia, Commentary, Latest, Top Stories
3
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ARF Youth of Armenia protest the education minister in Nov. 2019
ARF Youth of Armenia protest the education minister in Nov. 2019

BY VICKEN SOSIKIAN

Azerbaijan has attacked Armenia and Turkey has joined them in carrying out major joint military drills as we speak. The country is still in a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, there is one other significant controversy brewing in Armenia that has gotten the attention and sharp criticism of rapidly growing circles in Armenia – a wildly ambiguous and highly criticized set of changes in the entire educational system, which many believe strip young Armenians of vital education that is necessary for the youth of a nation with such a rich culture, heritage and history; a country surrounded by enemies and country with a cause that has yet to be brought to its rightful and just conclusion.

Ever since coming into power Prime Minister Pashinyan and his Education Minister, Arayik Harutyunyan have talked about carrying out educational reforms. However, they have failed to review and address the educational strategic plan the previous government had prepared for review and adoption by the newly elected government in 2018. Contrary to the PR spin Pashinyan gives on things – not everything from the old is by default bad, as may be the case with the mentioned strategic plan. Nonetheless, the government has had more than enough time to review and (even) debunk the presented plan and create their own.

But the fact is they have done nothing regarding strategic planning. In addition to making one wonder what tangible work the Education Ministry has actually done in this regard (especially when lavish bonuses have been distributed quite generously to ministry employees), there is significant speculation that the absence of a strategic plan is not just another failure of the ministry, but done intentionally – leading to further mistrust of the already unpopular Harutyunyan.

Now, how can the Education Ministry plan to overhaul the entire education system without a plan? Perhaps, if we shed some light on the planned changes – it would help provide some clues:

Pre-military Education
Armenian men are required by law to serve in the military upon graduation from high school. The current educational system includes a dedicated preparatory course where all students are taught about military strategy, tactics, history, and even practical on-field lessons. The fate of this critical subject is uncertain and unclear in the planned changes. Consistent with its ambiguous nature, the plans discuss changes to this important course and subject without specifying what those changes are.

Armenian Church
Currently students in Armenia must take a required course dedicated to the Armenian Church. The proposed changes remove the Armenian Church as a dedicated course and combine it with Armenian History – another currently dedicated course. The proposal aims to replace two vastly significant courses with one. Regardless of individual faith, the Armenian Church is a national treasure for Armenians. It makes up a vital component of our history and identity. In fact, the Armenian Church is not only significant to Armenian history but to world history, as well as Christian history. Additionally, most critics of this change argue that the course is a source of moral and spiritual education for the youth.

Furthermore, Article 18 of the Armenian Constitution states that the country recognizes the exclusive mission of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (as a national church) in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in the development of their national culture and preservation of their national identity. Various circles are concerned that the removal of the Armenian Church course is a precursor to a possible future attempt to remove Article 18 – something that will in fact be more easily accomplished given unconstitutional amendments made recently that is now resulting in the replacement of three Constitutional Court judges.

Armenian History
The course of Armenian History is also undergoing some changes, the most significant of which is the omission of the origins of the Armenian people. Our origins as native to the land that makes up a large swath of present-day Turkey is not only important because it is an undeniable fact, but it also serves as an important component of territorial claims made by Armenians.

Textbook and Faculty Changes
The proposed changes also require the publication of new textbooks and combining of classes. In addition to the concern of changing the country’s textbooks to remove (or reduce) the history of our origins, our church, our military and so on; there is concern about how (and who) will teach the new courses. For example, currently, the Armenian Church course is taught by religious experts who do not necessarily have expertise in Armenian history. By combining teachers to accommodate the proposed changes, the students may be left with inadequately prepared or insufficiently knowledgeable teachers – which in turn leads to another concern; combining classes will result in widespread layoffs of faculty members.

The Turkish Connection
However, the most concerning aspect of the textbook changes is the individual(s) who have been selected to develop the new textbooks. The lead on this project is Lilit Mkrtchyan. Although she is an associate professor at the Department of World History at Yerevan State University; Mkrtchyan’s involvement in various western backed projects that attempt to re-write Armenian history would have anyone with a slither of concern for the Armenian Cause up in arms. Mkrtchyan, now tasked with revising dozens of Armenian textbooks, is co-author of “History Education in Schools in Turkey and Armenia – A Critique and Alternatives.” If the title alone doesn’t cause alarm, you can go ahead and delve into the details of her work (https://bit.ly/319HE5i). The short of it (as titled by one of the projects she worked on) is an attempt to “challenge the image of the enemy as well as the current exclusivist narratives that the history education in Armenia and Turkey promotes.” I don’t know what Turkish schools teach (though I can take a guess), but in Armenia calling Turkey anything short of an enemy is unacceptable, for me at least – until the full resolution of the Armenian Cause.

Lack of Transparency and Accountability
The above noted points have justly caused an uproar among virtually every segment of the Armenian population – including many who otherwise have supported the Pashinyan administration. However, the Education Minister’s failure to engage in public discourse on such a major overhaul of the educational system and his unwillingness to listen to input from students, teachers, administrators and academic experts has turned into widespread calls for his resignation. However, Pashinyan has not (at least publicly) called on Harutyunyan for accounting on this matter – leading the public to insinuate that his silence means agreement.

Of significance is the fact that the plan to overhaul the educational system is not going to be presented to the National Assembly but can be adopted by the government during one of its weekly meetings. The Pashinyan camp maintains total control over both the parliament and the government, but if it were to go through the parliament, the changes would at least be given more attention by the public through their elected representatives.

Coincidental or By Design?
One would think that in addition to being led by a strategic plan, engaging a wide network of stakeholders for input, and being clear and transparent with its plans and intentions – the government would heed the recent Azeri attacks on Armenia and Armenians and Turkey’s call to combat the Armenian lobby (June 2020) as a sign to ante up on their efforts to enhance our education system, to teach more history to the youth, to provide more preparation for military service, and to instill a greater sense of love for our culture and heritage.

All this amid a state of emergency, which just happens to prevent the assembly of citizens in protest and just after illegally bull dozing through constitutional amendments, which shake the most basic principles of democracy in the country.

Coincidence or by design?

Asbarez Staff

Asbarez Staff

Next Post
UPDATE: Massive Explosion in Beirut Damages Armenian Center

UPDATE: Massive Explosion in Beirut Damages Armenian Center

Comments 3

  1. Gurgen2 says:
    2 years ago

    Thanks for the article, nice work Mr. Sosikian. I would add that the the removal of the term “Armenian Highlands” from all textbooks and its replacement with the term “Eastern Armenia” is not by coincidence. The Turkish propoganda machine has been advocating this change globally. To have it implemented in Armenia’s school textbooks, along with the dozens of other sinister “seeds” being planted is nothing short of treason, especially when the same Turkey is conducting massive war games simulating turning Armenia into another Idlib or Nothern Iraq. The Armenian people better wake up soon and replace this treacherous government asap before it’s too late.

    Reply
    • Gurgen2 says:
      2 years ago

      Sorry I meant Eastern Anatolia not Eastern Armenia.

      Reply
  2. Akop Baltayan says:
    2 years ago

    In other words, the new curriculum wants to bring in Soros’ Civil Society world view. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but to understand what is really going on, on needs to read at least one or two books authored by George Soros. We may love or hate Soros, but he does have a very well developed world view as to what human society’s future should be like.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Menendez, Schiff Alarmed that Biden Again Approves U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan

Menendez, Schiff Alarmed that Biden Again Approves U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan

3 hours ago
Press Boycotts Pashinyan’s ‘News Conference’

Press Boycotts Pashinyan’s ‘News Conference’

6 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • June 27, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to