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A UNIVERSITY TALE PERFORMED BY ELITE STUDENTS
Aram Zakaryan
Lragir.am
21 Aug 06
Article 27 of the reformed constitution of Armenia providing for
the right to receive and get information concerns even journalists
and even on holidays. This is the reason why on the next day of
the international day of the youth I appeared in the summer camp
of Dilijan of Yerevan State University with the group headed by the
permanent coordinator of the UN in Armenia Consuelo Vidal. The deputy
rector of YSU Aram Simonyan and the deputy minister of culture Arthur
Poghosyan were supposed to come but only Arsen Karamyan was showed
up, who is the deputy of the rector of YSU generally and a student
in distant learning particularly.
The UN representatives were likely to speak about how to battle poverty
together. And they did. They repeated for a number of times that
in settling the problems of the youth the voice of young people and
therefore their involvement is especially important. They said young
people in Armenia have a considerable potential, which is not used,
however, because there is no involvement. They said it is wrong to
think that poverty existed and will exist forever. In the diplomatic
language this means that today's oligarchs are not forever and will not
rob till the end of time. They said they are ready to help the Armenian
youth to become established if they know what they expect from the UN.
And the expectations of young people - questions - were addressed
to Arsen Karamyan. It means that the new leadership of YSU does not
spoil students with frequent appearances. And Arsen Karamyan like the
UN representatives called for activity. He agreed with the students
that there are inappropriate phenomena in YSU but he preferred
milder words. For instance, in answer to one of the students that
"all the places of the master's course were sold" Arsen Karamyan said,
"those who do not deserve are admitted to the master's course".
If Serge Sargsyan, the chair of the Council of the Republican Party,
promised visible changes in 3 or 4 months, Arsen Karamyan, a member
of the managing board of YSU led by Serge Sargsyan promises visible
changes in three years only. One of the changes that Arsen Karamyan
endorses is reduction of the number of students. Since everything
in Armenia is elite, building materials, buildings, mineral water,
taxis, except quality life and mentality, in case Arsen Karamyan's
dream comes true, "we will have 8 000 elite students instead of 13
thousand students". "We're fed up with this word elite," whispered
a student. And Arsen Karamyan assures that his wish to reduce the
number of students does not have anything to do with the reality that
the defense minister is the head of the managing board of YSU.
During the meeting in Dilijan it became known that the permanent
coordinator of the UN Consuelo Vidal knows us very well. In Peru,
which is 40 times larger than Armenia and the population is 6-7 times
more than that of Armenia, a university diploma is a special status.
"The Armenians are university addicts," I recalled this remark of my
colleague when Consuelo Vidal from Peru remembered the traditions and
mentality of her country. And Arsen Karamyan continued presenting a
beautiful future, bad specialists will not be admitted, universities
training bad specialists will be removed, the reduction of the number
of students will lead to reduction of the number of university
teachers, but the sad experience of lay-offs in schools will not
repeat, job announcements will be placed on the Web site of YSU for
students. "Job announcements are false," announced a student who has
a job. Nobody rejected. The UN is ready to make investments in the
basic institutions of education and health and also explain to our
university addicts that a person might as well be happy without a
university education.
Unfortunately, our students were not active and became active along
with the sunrise. When the sun was high in the sky, the time for the
meeting was over. I returned to Yerevan leaving behind students who
were not encouraged by this meeting, the meeting that was over and
a university tale starting anew.
Aram Zakaryan
Lragir.am
21 Aug 06
Article 27 of the reformed constitution of Armenia providing for
the right to receive and get information concerns even journalists
and even on holidays. This is the reason why on the next day of
the international day of the youth I appeared in the summer camp
of Dilijan of Yerevan State University with the group headed by the
permanent coordinator of the UN in Armenia Consuelo Vidal. The deputy
rector of YSU Aram Simonyan and the deputy minister of culture Arthur
Poghosyan were supposed to come but only Arsen Karamyan was showed
up, who is the deputy of the rector of YSU generally and a student
in distant learning particularly.
The UN representatives were likely to speak about how to battle poverty
together. And they did. They repeated for a number of times that
in settling the problems of the youth the voice of young people and
therefore their involvement is especially important. They said young
people in Armenia have a considerable potential, which is not used,
however, because there is no involvement. They said it is wrong to
think that poverty existed and will exist forever. In the diplomatic
language this means that today's oligarchs are not forever and will not
rob till the end of time. They said they are ready to help the Armenian
youth to become established if they know what they expect from the UN.
And the expectations of young people - questions - were addressed
to Arsen Karamyan. It means that the new leadership of YSU does not
spoil students with frequent appearances. And Arsen Karamyan like the
UN representatives called for activity. He agreed with the students
that there are inappropriate phenomena in YSU but he preferred
milder words. For instance, in answer to one of the students that
"all the places of the master's course were sold" Arsen Karamyan said,
"those who do not deserve are admitted to the master's course".
If Serge Sargsyan, the chair of the Council of the Republican Party,
promised visible changes in 3 or 4 months, Arsen Karamyan, a member
of the managing board of YSU led by Serge Sargsyan promises visible
changes in three years only. One of the changes that Arsen Karamyan
endorses is reduction of the number of students. Since everything
in Armenia is elite, building materials, buildings, mineral water,
taxis, except quality life and mentality, in case Arsen Karamyan's
dream comes true, "we will have 8 000 elite students instead of 13
thousand students". "We're fed up with this word elite," whispered
a student. And Arsen Karamyan assures that his wish to reduce the
number of students does not have anything to do with the reality that
the defense minister is the head of the managing board of YSU.
During the meeting in Dilijan it became known that the permanent
coordinator of the UN Consuelo Vidal knows us very well. In Peru,
which is 40 times larger than Armenia and the population is 6-7 times
more than that of Armenia, a university diploma is a special status.
"The Armenians are university addicts," I recalled this remark of my
colleague when Consuelo Vidal from Peru remembered the traditions and
mentality of her country. And Arsen Karamyan continued presenting a
beautiful future, bad specialists will not be admitted, universities
training bad specialists will be removed, the reduction of the number
of students will lead to reduction of the number of university
teachers, but the sad experience of lay-offs in schools will not
repeat, job announcements will be placed on the Web site of YSU for
students. "Job announcements are false," announced a student who has
a job. Nobody rejected. The UN is ready to make investments in the
basic institutions of education and health and also explain to our
university addicts that a person might as well be happy without a
university education.
Unfortunately, our students were not active and became active along
with the sunrise. When the sun was high in the sky, the time for the
meeting was over. I returned to Yerevan leaving behind students who
were not encouraged by this meeting, the meeting that was over and
a university tale starting anew.