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RELIGIOUS TEACHING IN ARMENIA CRITICISED
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #694
July 11 2013
Schools promote main Christian church to the detriment of other
religions, critics say.
By Gayane Lazarian - Caucasus
Mahine Sahakyan's 14-year-old son Arman has learned to keep quiet
during some lessons at his school in Armenia. Like his parents, he
is part of the evangelical Word of Life church. That should not be a
problem, since Armenian schools are under a constitutional obligation
to be secular.
But his parents are among the followers of minority religions who
complain that lessons teaching the history of the traditional Apostolic
Church are used to promote that faith and denigrate others.
That places Arman in a very uncomfortable position.
"One priest even asked the children whether there any of their parents
went to religious meetings and took them along with them," his mother
Mahine said. "If so, then the church would try to stop it. My son
just sat there and shut up to avoid any unnecessary conversations,
because he knows that we follow a different church and that we do
things differently at home."
Armenian schools have taught pupils the history of the country's
Apostolic Church since 2002. Officials and priests insist the
subject-matter merely reflects the central role the church has played
in maintaining Armenian identity since 301 AD, when the nation became
the first to adopt Christianity.
In 2005, the history of religion became compulsory for children over
the age of nine. Two years later, the church gained the right to design
the educational programme and to nominate teachers. That same year,
the Centre for Christian Instruction in Etchmiadzin, the seat of the
Apostolic Church, took over control of the syllabus.
The director's centre Varadan Navasardyan denied that the teaching
promoted any one religion.
"The school course provides information about how the church,
throughout history, has played an important role in the life of our
nation and our land, and how every child should know this," he said.
"It was a flaw in the Soviet system that the church was removed from
the history syllabus."
Armenia's constitution accords the Apostolic Church a special role
in preserving national identity and developing spiritual values,
and Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has said repeatedly that church
and state work together to advance the moral education of children.
Education experts, however, say that the course is in violation of
the OSCE's Toledo Principles, which require religion to be taught
according to the principles of basic human rights.
"The teaching of this subject is accompanied by the propagation of
intolerance against other religions, even though the law on religion
bans religious propaganda given that this violates the principles
of democracy," said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, an expert on religion at
Yerevan State University.
Emil Sargsyan, a member of the Evangelical Church, says his 16-year
old son Edgar has regularly clashed with priests who come to the
school to teach the history of the Apostolic Church.
"Edgar refused to accept the ideas included in the subject. As a
result, a priest came to the school to persuade my son that the
church's ideas were right," he said. "But when my son continued to
insist on his own point of view, the teacher said in front of the whole
class that he was a member of a sect. She was imposing her own ideas
even though people are supposed to be free to choose for themselves."
Armen Lusyan, spokesman for the Word of Life church, said he knew of
many similar examples.
"The problem arises when deceitful teachers exploit the teaching
in order to sow hatred and intolerance towards other faith groups,
to stage witch-hunts in class, to condemn the faiths of some pupils
in front of their classmates, and to try to get them back onto the
so-called true path," he said.
"Sadly, we have seen cases of this kind, and that's intolerable,"
Lusyan continued. "Children in school should not be pressured or
humiliated in any way."
Armine Davtyan, a teacher who has written a book on religious
education, said this meant that the constitutional requirement for
secular schooling was regularly being flouted.
"The year-ten textbook is permeated with the idea that if you're
Armenian you must be a member of the Apostolic Church, and that if
you don't accept that, you aren't Armenian," she said.
Navasardyan denied that schools were conflating Armenian identity
with the church.
"Let them study the subject first, and then later decide what religion
they belong to," he said. "If you study Islam and want to become a
Muslim, then go ahead - but you still have to know about your own
church and the role it played in the past of your own father and
grandfather."
The Toledo Principles state that governments must be in charge
of training religious studies teachers, and must also oversee the
appointment process. Although Armenian law says state and church
should do this together, in reality the church does it on its own.
Yerevan university academic Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said he had spoken
to head teachers at several schools and to representatives of various
religious groups, and had uncovered a whole series of problems.
"A shortage of teachers means that the subject is being taught by
people who aren't religious specialists. The textbooks are very
densely put together, and even university students would struggle to
study them," he said.
Education ministry official Narine Hovhannisyan conceded that there had
been problems ten years ago, but these days the courses were taught
by theology graduates from Yerevan State University. She insisted
that the textbooks included information on all major religions,
and would be simplified this year.
"Of course the history of the Armenian religion is laid out in detail,
but it doesn't say, 'Child, you must follow this faith'. Are they
really not supposed to know about the role the church has played in
their history?" she asked.
Teacher Davtyan said Armenia would do well to follow the example of
Russia, which in 2009 dropped a school course on the history of the
Orthodox Church, and replaced it with a subject called "culture and
history of religion".
Navasardyan, from the Etchmiadzin teaching centre, countered that this
example was not transferable, since Russia had numerous minorities
following other religions, whereas more than 90 per cent of Armenians
belonged to the Apostolic Church.
Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/religious-teaching-armenia-criticised
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From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: Religious Teaching in Armenia Criticised
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #694
July 11 2013
Religious Teaching in Armenia Criticised
Schools promote main Christian church to the detriment of other
religions, critics say.
By Gayane Lazarian - Caucasus
Mahine Sahakyan?s 14-year-old son Arman has learned to keep quiet
during some lessons at his school in Armenia. Like his parents, he is
part of the evangelical Word of Life church. That should not be a
problem, since Armenian schools are under a constitutional obligation
to be secular.
But his parents are among the followers of minority religions who
complain that lessons teaching the history of the traditional
Apostolic Church are used to promote that faith and denigrate others.
That places Arman in a very uncomfortable position.
?One priest even asked the children whether there any of their parents
went to religious meetings and took them along with them,? his mother
Mahine said. ?If so, then the church would try to stop it. My son just
sat there and shut up to avoid any unnecessary conversations, because
he knows that we follow a different church and that we do things
differently at home.?
Armenian schools have taught pupils the history of the country?s
Apostolic Church since 2002. Officials and priests insist the
subject-matter merely reflects the central role the church has played
in maintaining Armenian identity since 301 AD, when the nation became
the first to adopt Christianity.
In 2005, the history of religion became compulsory for children over
the age of nine. Two years later, the church gained the right to
design the educational programme and to nominate teachers. That same
year, the Centre for Christian Instruction in Etchmiadzin, the seat of
the Apostolic Church, took over control of the syllabus.
The director?s centre Varadan Navasardyan denied that the teaching
promoted any one religion.
?The school course provides information about how the church,
throughout history, has played an important role in the life of our
nation and our land, and how every child should know this,? he said.
?It was a flaw in the Soviet system that the church was removed from
the history syllabus.?
Armenia?s constitution accords the Apostolic Church a special role in
preserving national identity and developing spiritual values, and
Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has said repeatedly that church and
state work together to advance the moral education of children.
Education experts, however, say that the course is in violation of the
OSCE?s Toledo Principles, which require religion to be taught
according to the principles of basic human rights.
?The teaching of this subject is accompanied by the propagation of
intolerance against other religions, even though the law on religion
bans religious propaganda given that this violates the principles of
democracy,? said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, an expert on religion at
Yerevan State University.
Emil Sargsyan, a member of the Evangelical Church, says his 16-year
old son Edgar has regularly clashed with priests who come to the
school to teach the history of the Apostolic Church.
?Edgar refused to accept the ideas included in the subject. As a
result, a priest came to the school to persuade my son that the
church?s ideas were right,? he said. ?But when my son continued to
insist on his own point of view, the teacher said in front of the
whole class that he was a member of a sect. She was imposing her own
ideas even though people are supposed to be free to choose for
themselves.?
Armen Lusyan, spokesman for the Word of Life church, said he knew of
many similar examples.
?The problem arises when deceitful teachers exploit the teaching in
order to sow hatred and intolerance towards other faith groups, to
stage witch-hunts in class, to condemn the faiths of some pupils in
front of their classmates, and to try to get them back onto the
so-called true path,? he said.
?Sadly, we have seen cases of this kind, and that?s intolerable,?
Lusyan continued. ?Children in school should not be pressured or
humiliated in any way.?
Armine Davtyan, a teacher who has written a book on religious
education, said this meant that the constitutional requirement for
secular schooling was regularly being flouted.
?The year-ten textbook is permeated with the idea that if you?re
Armenian you must be a member of the Apostolic Church, and that if you
don?t accept that, you aren?t Armenian,? she said.
Navasardyan denied that schools were conflating Armenian identity with
the church.
?Let them study the subject first, and then later decide what religion
they belong to,? he said. ?If you study Islam and want to become a
Muslim, then go ahead ? but you still have to know about your own
church and the role it played in the past of your own father and
grandfather.?
The Toledo Principles state that governments must be in charge of
training religious studies teachers, and must also oversee the
appointment process. Although Armenian law says state and church
should do this together, in reality the church does it on its own.
Yerevan university academic Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said he had spoken
to head teachers at several schools and to representatives of various
religious groups, and had uncovered a whole series of problems.
?A shortage of teachers means that the subject is being taught by
people who aren?t religious specialists. The textbooks are very
densely put together, and even university students would struggle to
study them,? he said.
Education ministry official Narine Hovhannisyan conceded that there
had been problems ten years ago, but these days the courses were
taught by theology graduates from Yerevan State University. She
insisted that the textbooks included information on all major
religions, and would be simplified this year.
?Of course the history of the Armenian religion is laid out in detail,
but it doesn?t say, ?Child, you must follow this faith?. Are they
really not supposed to know about the role the church has played in
their history?? she asked.
Teacher Davtyan said Armenia would do well to follow the example of
Russia, which in 2009 dropped a school course on the history of the
Orthodox Church, and replaced it with a subject called ?culture and
history of religion?.
Navasardyan, from the Etchmiadzin teaching centre, countered that this
example was not transferable, since Russia had numerous minorities
following other religions, whereas more than 90 per cent of Armenians
belonged to the Apostolic Church.
Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/religious-teaching-armenia-criticised
From: Baghdasarian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #694
July 11 2013
Schools promote main Christian church to the detriment of other
religions, critics say.
By Gayane Lazarian - Caucasus
Mahine Sahakyan's 14-year-old son Arman has learned to keep quiet
during some lessons at his school in Armenia. Like his parents, he
is part of the evangelical Word of Life church. That should not be a
problem, since Armenian schools are under a constitutional obligation
to be secular.
But his parents are among the followers of minority religions who
complain that lessons teaching the history of the traditional Apostolic
Church are used to promote that faith and denigrate others.
That places Arman in a very uncomfortable position.
"One priest even asked the children whether there any of their parents
went to religious meetings and took them along with them," his mother
Mahine said. "If so, then the church would try to stop it. My son
just sat there and shut up to avoid any unnecessary conversations,
because he knows that we follow a different church and that we do
things differently at home."
Armenian schools have taught pupils the history of the country's
Apostolic Church since 2002. Officials and priests insist the
subject-matter merely reflects the central role the church has played
in maintaining Armenian identity since 301 AD, when the nation became
the first to adopt Christianity.
In 2005, the history of religion became compulsory for children over
the age of nine. Two years later, the church gained the right to design
the educational programme and to nominate teachers. That same year,
the Centre for Christian Instruction in Etchmiadzin, the seat of the
Apostolic Church, took over control of the syllabus.
The director's centre Varadan Navasardyan denied that the teaching
promoted any one religion.
"The school course provides information about how the church,
throughout history, has played an important role in the life of our
nation and our land, and how every child should know this," he said.
"It was a flaw in the Soviet system that the church was removed from
the history syllabus."
Armenia's constitution accords the Apostolic Church a special role
in preserving national identity and developing spiritual values,
and Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has said repeatedly that church
and state work together to advance the moral education of children.
Education experts, however, say that the course is in violation of
the OSCE's Toledo Principles, which require religion to be taught
according to the principles of basic human rights.
"The teaching of this subject is accompanied by the propagation of
intolerance against other religions, even though the law on religion
bans religious propaganda given that this violates the principles
of democracy," said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, an expert on religion at
Yerevan State University.
Emil Sargsyan, a member of the Evangelical Church, says his 16-year
old son Edgar has regularly clashed with priests who come to the
school to teach the history of the Apostolic Church.
"Edgar refused to accept the ideas included in the subject. As a
result, a priest came to the school to persuade my son that the
church's ideas were right," he said. "But when my son continued to
insist on his own point of view, the teacher said in front of the whole
class that he was a member of a sect. She was imposing her own ideas
even though people are supposed to be free to choose for themselves."
Armen Lusyan, spokesman for the Word of Life church, said he knew of
many similar examples.
"The problem arises when deceitful teachers exploit the teaching
in order to sow hatred and intolerance towards other faith groups,
to stage witch-hunts in class, to condemn the faiths of some pupils
in front of their classmates, and to try to get them back onto the
so-called true path," he said.
"Sadly, we have seen cases of this kind, and that's intolerable,"
Lusyan continued. "Children in school should not be pressured or
humiliated in any way."
Armine Davtyan, a teacher who has written a book on religious
education, said this meant that the constitutional requirement for
secular schooling was regularly being flouted.
"The year-ten textbook is permeated with the idea that if you're
Armenian you must be a member of the Apostolic Church, and that if
you don't accept that, you aren't Armenian," she said.
Navasardyan denied that schools were conflating Armenian identity
with the church.
"Let them study the subject first, and then later decide what religion
they belong to," he said. "If you study Islam and want to become a
Muslim, then go ahead - but you still have to know about your own
church and the role it played in the past of your own father and
grandfather."
The Toledo Principles state that governments must be in charge
of training religious studies teachers, and must also oversee the
appointment process. Although Armenian law says state and church
should do this together, in reality the church does it on its own.
Yerevan university academic Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said he had spoken
to head teachers at several schools and to representatives of various
religious groups, and had uncovered a whole series of problems.
"A shortage of teachers means that the subject is being taught by
people who aren't religious specialists. The textbooks are very
densely put together, and even university students would struggle to
study them," he said.
Education ministry official Narine Hovhannisyan conceded that there had
been problems ten years ago, but these days the courses were taught
by theology graduates from Yerevan State University. She insisted
that the textbooks included information on all major religions,
and would be simplified this year.
"Of course the history of the Armenian religion is laid out in detail,
but it doesn't say, 'Child, you must follow this faith'. Are they
really not supposed to know about the role the church has played in
their history?" she asked.
Teacher Davtyan said Armenia would do well to follow the example of
Russia, which in 2009 dropped a school course on the history of the
Orthodox Church, and replaced it with a subject called "culture and
history of religion".
Navasardyan, from the Etchmiadzin teaching centre, countered that this
example was not transferable, since Russia had numerous minorities
following other religions, whereas more than 90 per cent of Armenians
belonged to the Apostolic Church.
Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/religious-teaching-armenia-criticised
Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: Religious Teaching in Armenia Criticised
Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
IWPR Caucasus Reporting #694
July 11 2013
Religious Teaching in Armenia Criticised
Schools promote main Christian church to the detriment of other
religions, critics say.
By Gayane Lazarian - Caucasus
Mahine Sahakyan?s 14-year-old son Arman has learned to keep quiet
during some lessons at his school in Armenia. Like his parents, he is
part of the evangelical Word of Life church. That should not be a
problem, since Armenian schools are under a constitutional obligation
to be secular.
But his parents are among the followers of minority religions who
complain that lessons teaching the history of the traditional
Apostolic Church are used to promote that faith and denigrate others.
That places Arman in a very uncomfortable position.
?One priest even asked the children whether there any of their parents
went to religious meetings and took them along with them,? his mother
Mahine said. ?If so, then the church would try to stop it. My son just
sat there and shut up to avoid any unnecessary conversations, because
he knows that we follow a different church and that we do things
differently at home.?
Armenian schools have taught pupils the history of the country?s
Apostolic Church since 2002. Officials and priests insist the
subject-matter merely reflects the central role the church has played
in maintaining Armenian identity since 301 AD, when the nation became
the first to adopt Christianity.
In 2005, the history of religion became compulsory for children over
the age of nine. Two years later, the church gained the right to
design the educational programme and to nominate teachers. That same
year, the Centre for Christian Instruction in Etchmiadzin, the seat of
the Apostolic Church, took over control of the syllabus.
The director?s centre Varadan Navasardyan denied that the teaching
promoted any one religion.
?The school course provides information about how the church,
throughout history, has played an important role in the life of our
nation and our land, and how every child should know this,? he said.
?It was a flaw in the Soviet system that the church was removed from
the history syllabus.?
Armenia?s constitution accords the Apostolic Church a special role in
preserving national identity and developing spiritual values, and
Education Minister Armen Ashotyan has said repeatedly that church and
state work together to advance the moral education of children.
Education experts, however, say that the course is in violation of the
OSCE?s Toledo Principles, which require religion to be taught
according to the principles of basic human rights.
?The teaching of this subject is accompanied by the propagation of
intolerance against other religions, even though the law on religion
bans religious propaganda given that this violates the principles of
democracy,? said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, an expert on religion at
Yerevan State University.
Emil Sargsyan, a member of the Evangelical Church, says his 16-year
old son Edgar has regularly clashed with priests who come to the
school to teach the history of the Apostolic Church.
?Edgar refused to accept the ideas included in the subject. As a
result, a priest came to the school to persuade my son that the
church?s ideas were right,? he said. ?But when my son continued to
insist on his own point of view, the teacher said in front of the
whole class that he was a member of a sect. She was imposing her own
ideas even though people are supposed to be free to choose for
themselves.?
Armen Lusyan, spokesman for the Word of Life church, said he knew of
many similar examples.
?The problem arises when deceitful teachers exploit the teaching in
order to sow hatred and intolerance towards other faith groups, to
stage witch-hunts in class, to condemn the faiths of some pupils in
front of their classmates, and to try to get them back onto the
so-called true path,? he said.
?Sadly, we have seen cases of this kind, and that?s intolerable,?
Lusyan continued. ?Children in school should not be pressured or
humiliated in any way.?
Armine Davtyan, a teacher who has written a book on religious
education, said this meant that the constitutional requirement for
secular schooling was regularly being flouted.
?The year-ten textbook is permeated with the idea that if you?re
Armenian you must be a member of the Apostolic Church, and that if you
don?t accept that, you aren?t Armenian,? she said.
Navasardyan denied that schools were conflating Armenian identity with
the church.
?Let them study the subject first, and then later decide what religion
they belong to,? he said. ?If you study Islam and want to become a
Muslim, then go ahead ? but you still have to know about your own
church and the role it played in the past of your own father and
grandfather.?
The Toledo Principles state that governments must be in charge of
training religious studies teachers, and must also oversee the
appointment process. Although Armenian law says state and church
should do this together, in reality the church does it on its own.
Yerevan university academic Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said he had spoken
to head teachers at several schools and to representatives of various
religious groups, and had uncovered a whole series of problems.
?A shortage of teachers means that the subject is being taught by
people who aren?t religious specialists. The textbooks are very
densely put together, and even university students would struggle to
study them,? he said.
Education ministry official Narine Hovhannisyan conceded that there
had been problems ten years ago, but these days the courses were
taught by theology graduates from Yerevan State University. She
insisted that the textbooks included information on all major
religions, and would be simplified this year.
?Of course the history of the Armenian religion is laid out in detail,
but it doesn?t say, ?Child, you must follow this faith?. Are they
really not supposed to know about the role the church has played in
their history?? she asked.
Teacher Davtyan said Armenia would do well to follow the example of
Russia, which in 2009 dropped a school course on the history of the
Orthodox Church, and replaced it with a subject called ?culture and
history of religion?.
Navasardyan, from the Etchmiadzin teaching centre, countered that this
example was not transferable, since Russia had numerous minorities
following other religions, whereas more than 90 per cent of Armenians
belonged to the Apostolic Church.
Gayane Lazarian is a reporter for ArmeniaNow.com.
http://iwpr.net/report-news/religious-teaching-armenia-criticised
From: Baghdasarian