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Georgia-Armenia Education Memorandum to Address Problems in Javakhk

 

YEREVAN (A.W.) – A memorandum is expected to be signed between the Ministries of Education and Sciences of Armenia and Georgia in the coming days. The agreement will reportedly help create a working taskforce, which will address the educational problems of Javakhk-Armenians.

Levon Mkrtchyan (Photo: Horizon TV)

The agreement made between Armenian Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and Georgian Education Minister Aleksandre Jejelava would address issues pertaining to general education, vocational and higher education, and the sciences, Armenia’s News.am reported.

“Regarding general education, we agreed to settle the problems with the current textbooks by reaching out to scholars to create improved Armenian language textbooks,” said Mkrtchyan. “I felt that the Georgian minister is ready to help solve the problems in education for the Armenians of Javakhk and the memorandum is expected to be signed soon,” he added.

Mkrtchyan noted that many of the root problems in the schools if Javakhk are methodological. “For example, many of the current translated textbooks are translated without our assistance and are of poor quality,” said Mkrtchyan. “Another issue is that the preparation of teachers in Javakhk is done without our participation.”

The problems with the Armenians schools in Javakhk were among the main topics discussed during Mkrtchyan’s recent visit to Georgia. Mkrtchyan visited Georgia on the invitation of Georgian Education Minister in September 2016.

Davit Rstakyan of the unregistered Virk party, which operates in Javakhk stressed that Armenian schools in Javakhk are slowly transforming into Georgian schools.  In comments made to News.am, Rstakyan said that the Armenian schools’ most pressing issue is the acceptance of the law requiring the use of the Georgian language in class. Other issues include the preparation of teachers, the introduction of new teaching methods, acquiring Armenian textbooks, as well as meeting the basic needs of the schools, according to him.