Speakers Present New Learning Culture for Future of Armenian Education
On Oct. 22, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Ayb Educational Foundation partnered to organize “Armenia: Spirit of Knowledge and Excellence” at the French Institute Alliance Française in New York. The event was devoted to advancing educational initiatives in Armenia and focused specifically on the National Program for Educational Excellence, the 10-year experience of the Ayb Foundation, developments in the field of education in Armenia, and new initiatives for Armenia-diaspora educational cooperation.
The evening began with remarks by AGBU Central Board member Sarkis Jebejian, who highlighted the importance of socio-economic development for Armenia and the role the Ayb School plays in achieving it. “The key to socio-economic development is education and the Ayb Educational Foundation is doing something special to create a model of an education system to set a new standard for all throughout Armenia and promote socio-economic development,” Jebejian said.
Father Mesrop Aramian, the director of the National Program of Educational Excellence and the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ayb School, then gave an overview of the school, emphasizing the goals it strives to achieve by 2025 and the progress Armenia has already made in the realm of education in the past decade. “We live in a competitive world. Only those nations that are able to foster a culture of efficient cooperation and are willing to make investments can expect a secure future and great results,” he said. “We have all the prerequisites for such a future: it is our inner human strength and our resilience in overcoming adversity throughout the centuries. We only need to embrace the power of working together and believe in our future.”
His talk was followed by a short presentation by Aram Pakhchanian, the director of the Ayb School, who described his own personal experience and the role that Ayb students can have in the growth of Armenia. “With their knowledge and their effort, they can substantially change the country starting today, not tomorrow,” Pakhchanian said.
Founded in 2006 in Armenia, the Ayb Educational Foundation is dedicated to contributing to the development of a new learning culture and to investing in the future of Armenian education. One of Ayb’s top priorities is the creation of high-quality educational environments that serve effectively as model institutions and islands of learning and virtue, fostering systemic change by example.
The Ayb School, opened in Yerevan in 2011, is the combination of the best practices and resources in contemporary education, with learning tools, methods, and approaches suited to current needs and environments. Ayb views the creation and expansion of such schools as an important step towards the educational, cultural, and spiritual development of the Armenian people, as well as a tool for shaping a new generation that will stay connected to their roots and foster responsibility for the future of the country. For more information on the Ayb School, visit www.aybschool.am.
Established in 1906, AGBU is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world. For more information, visit www.agbu.org.
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I had the privilege of attending this presentation at the invitation of Re. Karekin Kasparian. The presentation and the schools are impressive and needed. However, they are elite educational institutions for only the best and brightest. They are not intended for either the average or special needs students.
That said these niche schools fulfill a need. I only hope their best practices find their way into schools for average and special needs students. Such students deserve a good education also