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THE WOBBLING PILLAR
Editorial, July 2013
"When three Armenians settle in a new country, the first thing they
do is build a church, a club, and a school," is the axiom, boast,
half-joke Diaspora Armenians have told to each other and to "odars"
for more than a century. There is much truth in the observation.
The bad news is that one of the three pillars-the day-schools-are
wobbling everywhere in the Diaspora.
There are anywhere from 600,000 to 700,000 Armenians in California.
Greater Los Angeles prides in having almost a dozen Armenian
day-schools. However, the student count is a depressing 5,000. While
it's difficult to determine the number of school-age Armenian students
in California, the student count is less than 1% of California
Armenians. This might seem an embarrassing statistic for a community
which prides itself as being the largest in Diaspora (if one discounts
Russia) but for the fact that in various Armenian centres-Paris,
Buenos Aires, Jerusalem--Armenian day- schools are also struggling.
In Canada there were four day schools (three in Montreal and one in
Toronto). Last year one of the Toronto schools (owned by the AGBU)
closed due to financial challenges. The three Montreal schools have
1,350 students. In recent years these numbers have been maintained
at an even level, thanks to new immigrants from Syria and Iraq. One
of the schools also admits Christian Arabs. The Toronto school has
550 students (0.8% of the Toronto-area Armenian population).
A primary reason Armenian day schools don't attract Armenian students
is the cost of tuition. In Toronto and Montreal the average annual
income (before taxes) per household is about $68,000. In Toronto the
tuition fees at the Armenian day school are $4,800 (sans transportation
and ancillary expenses such as registration, books, sports activities,
school trips, etc.). This is a formidable financial challenge, and
counts for approximately 10% of net family income per student. In
Montreal combined tuition and bus transportation costs are a low
$2,600 because the Quebec government subsidizes the schools.
In the Los Angeles Basin cities where most California Armenians live,
the annual (before taxes) household income, according to the "Los
Angeles Times" is $34,000 (Hollywood), $54,000 (San Fernando Valley),
$57,000 (Glendale), $63,000 (Pasadena), and $64,000 (Burbank). The
average annual day-school tuition per student ranges (depending on the
school) from $500 to $800 per month, not including ancillary expenses.
You do the math about the size of the slice tuition takes from the
family income pie.
While Armenian day school tuition fees have risen beyond the rate of
inflation, they are still modest compared to those of other private
schools. For example, in Toronto the average tuition fees for private
schools are $15,000.
Are these demands on Armenian families financially sustainable? It's a
fact that families with two children, and who could send one child to
Armenian school, choose not to send both children to Armenian school so
as not to play favorites. In other instances, parents have pulled their
children from Armenian school because of harsh economic conditions.
Armenian day schools are a barometer of the community's health. When
a school faces tuition crisis it means the community is facing a
crisis. Although the tuition crisis is palpable, nobody seems to be
making a significant and over-arching effort to resolve the dilemma
across the Diaspora.
The negative side-effects of Armenian day school "high tuition" are
significant and self-evident. Because many Armenian parents can't
afford to send their children to Armenian schools, they feel excluded
from the community, and those who send their children to Armenian
schools feel their lifestyle is demonstrably constricted due to the
cost of providing their children education at an Armenian school. The
tuition pressure also restrict parents from making greater financial
contribution to their church, community centre, to Armenia and to
Artsakh, to cite a few vital causes. Thus an institution vital to the
continuance of the community may be eating away at the well-being of
that very community.
Is the Diaspora buckling under the high cost of Armenian life? How much
financial sacrifice do parents have to make to retain our Armenian life
and make sure their children are educated in an Armenian atmosphere
and are versed in our language, culture, and identity? Will our
communities slowly implode under the costs of retaining a semblance
of Armenian communal and family life?
The current vigor of North American Armenian communities is mostly
due to emigration from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Istanbul. North
American Armenian community life had begun to fade by the '60s. With
the pioneers (Genocide survivors) of the community dead or in failing
health, the second generation was often assimilated or half-hearted
about carrying on the torch. A few could speak Armenian. It was the
newcomers from the Middle East who revived these hobbling communities.
With the Middle East emptying of Armenians, North American and
European Armenian communities can't count on future white knights
from Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, and Cairo to revive Diaspora
communities. The Diaspora has to give birth and nourish its domestic
community leaders and educators.
One of the aims of Diaspora Armenian schools is to be a primary source
of our community future leaders and activists. Without Armenian
schools our chances of knowledgeable and committed future leaders
dim significantly. Without capable leaders there can't be a healthy
community.
It's high time our communities took a serious look at the looming
Armenian school crisis. Are we cognizant of the challenges or are
we stuck in the mindset of previous decades? Do we appreciate the
importance of our schools in the survival of our communities? Finally,
how do we make sure our schools flourish and tuition fees are
affordable?
Our schools need additional financial support from the community,
from foundations, from wealthy Armenians and from Armenia. As much as
a subsidy to Armenian parents who want their children to be educated
in an Armenian milieu, the subsidy would be an investment in our
communities' future. Armenian schools are not a luxury. They are
crucial for our communal survival.
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Schools
Editorial, July 2013
"When three Armenians settle in a new country, the first thing they
do is build a church, a club, and a school," is the axiom, boast,
half-joke Diaspora Armenians have told to each other and to "odars"
for more than a century. There is much truth in the observation.
The bad news is that one of the three pillars-the day-schools-are
wobbling everywhere in the Diaspora.
There are anywhere from 600,000 to 700,000 Armenians in California.
Greater Los Angeles prides in having almost a dozen Armenian
day-schools. However, the student count is a depressing 5,000. While
it's difficult to determine the number of school-age Armenian students
in California, the student count is less than 1% of California
Armenians. This might seem an embarrassing statistic for a community
which prides itself as being the largest in Diaspora (if one discounts
Russia) but for the fact that in various Armenian centres-Paris,
Buenos Aires, Jerusalem--Armenian day- schools are also struggling.
In Canada there were four day schools (three in Montreal and one in
Toronto). Last year one of the Toronto schools (owned by the AGBU)
closed due to financial challenges. The three Montreal schools have
1,350 students. In recent years these numbers have been maintained
at an even level, thanks to new immigrants from Syria and Iraq. One
of the schools also admits Christian Arabs. The Toronto school has
550 students (0.8% of the Toronto-area Armenian population).
A primary reason Armenian day schools don't attract Armenian students
is the cost of tuition. In Toronto and Montreal the average annual
income (before taxes) per household is about $68,000. In Toronto the
tuition fees at the Armenian day school are $4,800 (sans transportation
and ancillary expenses such as registration, books, sports activities,
school trips, etc.). This is a formidable financial challenge, and
counts for approximately 10% of net family income per student. In
Montreal combined tuition and bus transportation costs are a low
$2,600 because the Quebec government subsidizes the schools.
In the Los Angeles Basin cities where most California Armenians live,
the annual (before taxes) household income, according to the "Los
Angeles Times" is $34,000 (Hollywood), $54,000 (San Fernando Valley),
$57,000 (Glendale), $63,000 (Pasadena), and $64,000 (Burbank). The
average annual day-school tuition per student ranges (depending on the
school) from $500 to $800 per month, not including ancillary expenses.
You do the math about the size of the slice tuition takes from the
family income pie.
While Armenian day school tuition fees have risen beyond the rate of
inflation, they are still modest compared to those of other private
schools. For example, in Toronto the average tuition fees for private
schools are $15,000.
Are these demands on Armenian families financially sustainable? It's a
fact that families with two children, and who could send one child to
Armenian school, choose not to send both children to Armenian school so
as not to play favorites. In other instances, parents have pulled their
children from Armenian school because of harsh economic conditions.
Armenian day schools are a barometer of the community's health. When
a school faces tuition crisis it means the community is facing a
crisis. Although the tuition crisis is palpable, nobody seems to be
making a significant and over-arching effort to resolve the dilemma
across the Diaspora.
The negative side-effects of Armenian day school "high tuition" are
significant and self-evident. Because many Armenian parents can't
afford to send their children to Armenian schools, they feel excluded
from the community, and those who send their children to Armenian
schools feel their lifestyle is demonstrably constricted due to the
cost of providing their children education at an Armenian school. The
tuition pressure also restrict parents from making greater financial
contribution to their church, community centre, to Armenia and to
Artsakh, to cite a few vital causes. Thus an institution vital to the
continuance of the community may be eating away at the well-being of
that very community.
Is the Diaspora buckling under the high cost of Armenian life? How much
financial sacrifice do parents have to make to retain our Armenian life
and make sure their children are educated in an Armenian atmosphere
and are versed in our language, culture, and identity? Will our
communities slowly implode under the costs of retaining a semblance
of Armenian communal and family life?
The current vigor of North American Armenian communities is mostly
due to emigration from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Istanbul. North
American Armenian community life had begun to fade by the '60s. With
the pioneers (Genocide survivors) of the community dead or in failing
health, the second generation was often assimilated or half-hearted
about carrying on the torch. A few could speak Armenian. It was the
newcomers from the Middle East who revived these hobbling communities.
With the Middle East emptying of Armenians, North American and
European Armenian communities can't count on future white knights
from Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo, Jerusalem, and Cairo to revive Diaspora
communities. The Diaspora has to give birth and nourish its domestic
community leaders and educators.
One of the aims of Diaspora Armenian schools is to be a primary source
of our community future leaders and activists. Without Armenian
schools our chances of knowledgeable and committed future leaders
dim significantly. Without capable leaders there can't be a healthy
community.
It's high time our communities took a serious look at the looming
Armenian school crisis. Are we cognizant of the challenges or are
we stuck in the mindset of previous decades? Do we appreciate the
importance of our schools in the survival of our communities? Finally,
how do we make sure our schools flourish and tuition fees are
affordable?
Our schools need additional financial support from the community,
from foundations, from wealthy Armenians and from Armenia. As much as
a subsidy to Armenian parents who want their children to be educated
in an Armenian milieu, the subsidy would be an investment in our
communities' future. Armenian schools are not a luxury. They are
crucial for our communal survival.
http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Schools