Armenian MESCS head: Studying regional languages, including  Azerbaijani, will help us better understand our region

ArmInfo. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MESCS) encourages the study of regional languages, including Azerbaijani, in Armenian schools, as knowledge of them will help us better understand our region. Zhanna Andreasyan, head of the MESCS, stated this in a conversation with journalists, referring to the project adopted in 2021 to introduce  regional languages in Armenian schools.

As Andreasyan noted, a great deal of work has been done since the  project's adoption, including conducting research in the country's  schools. "At that time, 400 schools expressed interest in this  program, most of which chose Turkish as the regional language to  study. However, due to staffing shortages, only about 30 schools were  able to organize instruction in various regional languages,"  Andreasyan clarified.

According to her, Persian is currently the most actively taught  language. Andreasyan pointed out that this is due to close  cooperation with the Iranian Embassy, which helps improve the skills  of Persian teachers.  "Today, we also have three schools teaching  Georgian and three schools teaching Azerbaijani. And I can only  encourage our schools to show greater interest in studying regional  languages," Andreasyan emphasized.

The Minister, however, did not deny that information about the  teaching of Azerbaijani and Turkish was perceived differently in the  country than expected. According to her, this is due to the lack of  proper publicity for such programs, which is why language learning is  perceived not as an opportunity, but as a threat. "It's unfortunate  that this information is being perceived in this context. We  recognize that public debate is necessary for this information to be  properly understood. Journalists also play a vital role in this  matter, particularly in disseminating accurate information," the  Minister added.

The head of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth Affairs  also addressed concerns about the fact that language assignments are  being made without regard for the students' own preferences.  According to her, the problem stems from a shortage of relevant  specialists. In this regard, Andreasyan men tioned that during the  visit of the Georgian Minister of Education, Science, and Youth  Affairs, the possibilities of training specialists in the Georgian  language were discussed. "Just imagine how it will facilitate  communication between people living in border communities. This could  also contribute to strengthening economic and cultural ties," the  Minister concluded.