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Daily Star, Lebanon
Feb 15 2013
Armenians from Syria enroll in Beirut
February 15, 2013 01:38 AM
By Van Meguerditchian The Daily Star
SIN AL-FIL, Lebanon: Classes at Lazar Najarian-Calouste Gulbenkian
School in Aleppo are still being held despite being frequently
suspended due to the violence in Syria.
The school, which has graduated thousands of students since 1954,
might see many of its students graduate from Lebanese schools instead
as battles engulf the city.
The institution's high school, built in the city's Azizieh
neighborhood in honor of Armenian businessman and philanthropist
Calouste Gulbenkian, has many students fleeing to Armenian communities
around the world as the violence in Syria rages.
The school in Aleppo was among many that were built to accommodate the
academic needs of a growing population of ethnic Armenians, whose
ancestors had survived the Armenian Genocide less than half a century
earlier.
As the schools face an uncertain future in war-torn Syria, hundreds of
Armenian students are enrolling in Armenian schools in Lebanon while
maintaining hope that they will attend college back home despite the
continuing violence.
`Returning to Syria is on the mind of most of our students from
Syria,' said Ara Vassilian, the general director of schools affiliated
with the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
Education costs for students coming from Syria to AGBU schools are
covered in large part by the nonprofit organization, which relies
heavily on donations made by philanthropists and the Armenian
diaspora.
Based in New York, AGBU has donated $1.7 million in relief aid since
the conflict began in order to help Syrian Armenian families exposed
to the civil war.
An estimated 120,000 Armenians live in Syria with the majority
centered in Aleppo. Like other Christian communities, they are worried
that the ongoing war will permanently displace them.
Arina, a student in grade 11, said that her journey to Lebanon started
while she was visiting her uncle last summer. `I would visit my uncle
in Lebanon every summer with my family, but last year we came here and
didn't go back.
`I like it here, Lebanon is great but Damascus is my city,' she added.
With expectations that the fighting will continue to rage in Syria,
Arina's classmate wants to finish her high-school studies in Lebanon
and attend college in Syria in the future.
`I want to go back to Syria, but after finishing school here,' said
Sarine, a former student of Lazar Najarian-Calouste Gulbenkian School
in Aleppo.
At three of AGBU's schools in the Metn towns of Sin al-Fil and
Dbayyeh, there are at least 100 Syrian Armenian students who have
escaped the violence along with their families. More arrive each week
while only a few trickle back, due to the expensive living conditions
in Lebanon.
Many other students have enrolled in other Armenian schools across the
country, but no official numbers have been announced yet, as the
figure steadily rises.
Although hundreds of Syrian Armenians have fled the unrest and sought
refuge in Armenia, many families have preferred to move to Lebanon and
other countries with vibrant expat communities due to the wide
availability of schools with a Western Armenian curriculum and the
similarity of the education system to that in Syria.
Unlike Eastern Armenian, the official language of Armenia, the Syrian
community speaks Western Armenian and Arabic, as in Lebanon - but
here, many students say they have found it difficult to study most of
their courses in English. `At my school in Syria, most of the classes
were in Arabic, here they are in English,' said 16-year-old Arina.
Arina, who studied at the Looys (Light) School in Damascus, said that
even though she faced difficulty in the beginning of the year, she has
been gradually improving.
While Lebanon's educational system offers science courses in either
English or French, most of the courses in Syria are taught in Arabic,
leaving English as a third language.
AGBU schools have been holding intensive English language classes on
Saturdays since the beginning of the academic year to help Syrian
students catch up.
`We are offering intensive English courses on Saturdays but all
students are treated in the same manner ... Both Syrian and Lebanese
students took the midyear exam and they will take the final year
exam,' Vassilian added. `Depending on the occupancy in each classroom,
we distribute the new students among the three schools.'
Some classes have filled up this year, forcing Vassilian's
administration to open new sections for the same grade. `This year's
ninth grade was full and we were forced to open another section to
accommodate all the students.'
The schools have also dedicated weekly classes to discussions about
major issues facing students in their day-to-day lives.
`We had bullying as a topic of discussion this year to help integrate
Lebanese and Syrian students together,' Vassilian said, adding that
there were only minor incidents of bullying directed at Armenian
students arriving from Syria.
`The administration anticipated such problems and we warned against
any intolerance toward Syrians from the very beginning,' he said.
Students of AGBU's elementary school also look forward to going back
to Syria in the near future.
`My school was attacked and I can't go back there now,' said Ania, a
fifth grader. `After the fighting reached where we lived in Aleppo
Street in Damascus, my family decided to flee to Lebanon,' she added.
Another Syrian Armenian student from Damascus said that she was
looking forward to seeing her country secure and stable in order for
her family to return home. `The street we lived on was safe before,
but growing fear and increased fighting made us leave our home and
come to Beirut,' said Karny. `When everything is back to normal, I
want to go back.'
The constant thought of return to Syria might distract Syrian students
in their studies this year, but the majority remain optimistic and
focused on their plans to return to attend college.
`I want to be a lawyer when I grow up,' Ania said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-15/206540-armenians-from-syria-enroll-in-beirut.ashx#axzz2Kx0FvXKv
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Feb 15 2013
Armenians from Syria enroll in Beirut
February 15, 2013 01:38 AM
By Van Meguerditchian The Daily Star
SIN AL-FIL, Lebanon: Classes at Lazar Najarian-Calouste Gulbenkian
School in Aleppo are still being held despite being frequently
suspended due to the violence in Syria.
The school, which has graduated thousands of students since 1954,
might see many of its students graduate from Lebanese schools instead
as battles engulf the city.
The institution's high school, built in the city's Azizieh
neighborhood in honor of Armenian businessman and philanthropist
Calouste Gulbenkian, has many students fleeing to Armenian communities
around the world as the violence in Syria rages.
The school in Aleppo was among many that were built to accommodate the
academic needs of a growing population of ethnic Armenians, whose
ancestors had survived the Armenian Genocide less than half a century
earlier.
As the schools face an uncertain future in war-torn Syria, hundreds of
Armenian students are enrolling in Armenian schools in Lebanon while
maintaining hope that they will attend college back home despite the
continuing violence.
`Returning to Syria is on the mind of most of our students from
Syria,' said Ara Vassilian, the general director of schools affiliated
with the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
Education costs for students coming from Syria to AGBU schools are
covered in large part by the nonprofit organization, which relies
heavily on donations made by philanthropists and the Armenian
diaspora.
Based in New York, AGBU has donated $1.7 million in relief aid since
the conflict began in order to help Syrian Armenian families exposed
to the civil war.
An estimated 120,000 Armenians live in Syria with the majority
centered in Aleppo. Like other Christian communities, they are worried
that the ongoing war will permanently displace them.
Arina, a student in grade 11, said that her journey to Lebanon started
while she was visiting her uncle last summer. `I would visit my uncle
in Lebanon every summer with my family, but last year we came here and
didn't go back.
`I like it here, Lebanon is great but Damascus is my city,' she added.
With expectations that the fighting will continue to rage in Syria,
Arina's classmate wants to finish her high-school studies in Lebanon
and attend college in Syria in the future.
`I want to go back to Syria, but after finishing school here,' said
Sarine, a former student of Lazar Najarian-Calouste Gulbenkian School
in Aleppo.
At three of AGBU's schools in the Metn towns of Sin al-Fil and
Dbayyeh, there are at least 100 Syrian Armenian students who have
escaped the violence along with their families. More arrive each week
while only a few trickle back, due to the expensive living conditions
in Lebanon.
Many other students have enrolled in other Armenian schools across the
country, but no official numbers have been announced yet, as the
figure steadily rises.
Although hundreds of Syrian Armenians have fled the unrest and sought
refuge in Armenia, many families have preferred to move to Lebanon and
other countries with vibrant expat communities due to the wide
availability of schools with a Western Armenian curriculum and the
similarity of the education system to that in Syria.
Unlike Eastern Armenian, the official language of Armenia, the Syrian
community speaks Western Armenian and Arabic, as in Lebanon - but
here, many students say they have found it difficult to study most of
their courses in English. `At my school in Syria, most of the classes
were in Arabic, here they are in English,' said 16-year-old Arina.
Arina, who studied at the Looys (Light) School in Damascus, said that
even though she faced difficulty in the beginning of the year, she has
been gradually improving.
While Lebanon's educational system offers science courses in either
English or French, most of the courses in Syria are taught in Arabic,
leaving English as a third language.
AGBU schools have been holding intensive English language classes on
Saturdays since the beginning of the academic year to help Syrian
students catch up.
`We are offering intensive English courses on Saturdays but all
students are treated in the same manner ... Both Syrian and Lebanese
students took the midyear exam and they will take the final year
exam,' Vassilian added. `Depending on the occupancy in each classroom,
we distribute the new students among the three schools.'
Some classes have filled up this year, forcing Vassilian's
administration to open new sections for the same grade. `This year's
ninth grade was full and we were forced to open another section to
accommodate all the students.'
The schools have also dedicated weekly classes to discussions about
major issues facing students in their day-to-day lives.
`We had bullying as a topic of discussion this year to help integrate
Lebanese and Syrian students together,' Vassilian said, adding that
there were only minor incidents of bullying directed at Armenian
students arriving from Syria.
`The administration anticipated such problems and we warned against
any intolerance toward Syrians from the very beginning,' he said.
Students of AGBU's elementary school also look forward to going back
to Syria in the near future.
`My school was attacked and I can't go back there now,' said Ania, a
fifth grader. `After the fighting reached where we lived in Aleppo
Street in Damascus, my family decided to flee to Lebanon,' she added.
Another Syrian Armenian student from Damascus said that she was
looking forward to seeing her country secure and stable in order for
her family to return home. `The street we lived on was safe before,
but growing fear and increased fighting made us leave our home and
come to Beirut,' said Karny. `When everything is back to normal, I
want to go back.'
The constant thought of return to Syria might distract Syrian students
in their studies this year, but the majority remain optimistic and
focused on their plans to return to attend college.
`I want to be a lawyer when I grow up,' Ania said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2013/Feb-15/206540-armenians-from-syria-enroll-in-beirut.ashx#axzz2Kx0FvXKv
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress