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EDUCATION AND RELIGION: CHURCH HISTORY SUBJECT DRAWS MORE CRITICISM OVER TEXTBOOK, TEACHING METHODS FLAWS
EDUCATION | 13.06.14 | 11:06
http://armenianow.com/society/education/55215/armenia_education_church
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
RELATED NEWS
Minister denies plans to withdraw church history from school curricula
Although by the Constitution education in Armenia is supposed to be
secular, the Church History subject and methods of its teaching are
being viewed as a major problem by some experts who say they have
arrived at the conclusion after closely examining the textbooks and
the teaching process.
Enlarge Photo Satenik Lazarian Enlarge Photo Armine Davtyan
Nevertheless, authors of the textbooks insist that the best specialists
have been involved in preparing the materials and that they have
received no complaints about the course during the 12 years of its
application.
The awakening of religious feelings that began in Armenia still in
the last years of Soviet rule and continued after Armenia gained
independence in 1991 are being used for propaganda of religion at
schools by means of the Armenian Church History subject, Satenik
Lazarian, a junior researcher at the Institute of Archeology and
Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, argued
during a related discussion on Wednesday.
"We should not turn schools into an instrument of presenting subjective
religious approaches as knowledge. One should realize that it is
a more serious problem and solutions need to be sought for that,"
the scholar explained her position, emphasizing that religion should
rather be presented to children at schools as part of sciences.
Most of the participants in the discussion focusing on cooperation
between the State and the Church in educational institutions expressed
their concern over the issue raised by Lazarian, since they insisted
that the examination of textbooks and other research had shown that
the subject is not as much about religion studies as the propaganda
of the Armenian Apostolic Church and its rites.
Experts noted that the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church begins
in the third year of teaching, i.e. in the 7th grade, before that it
is mainly the Bible, the Armenian Church's rites and traditions that
are presented.
Teacher Armine Davtyan together with two other specialists studied
all textbooks, arriving at the conclusion that during the course the
study of the history and rites of one religion [Armenian Apostolic]
is imposed on all children without taking into account the opinion
of their parents.
"Meanwhile, under Armenia's legislation, it is the parents that decide
their children's creed," she said.
And Lazarian added that as a result of the introduction of the Church
History subject a contradiction had emerged between the theory of
creation and natural sciences.
"In Grades 5-6 pupils study the theory of creation. But there is also
an answer to the question of where the human race had come from in
the textbooks on biology and world history, but these questions are
studied by those textbooks at a later age."
The specialist told of a case when a biology teacher tried to
compare the biological approach with the theory of creation. "When
the children confronted her, she tried to make a compromise by saying
that the body is physical, that is, it can be examined by biologists,
while the spirit is for God's judgment," said Lazarian.
Meanwhile, co-author of the textbook, deputy director of the National
Institute of Education Vardan Ghandilyan stated at the discussion
that during the past 12 years they have not received a single written
complaint from any citizen or teacher regarding the contents of the
textbooks or methods of teaching.
"The course was developed by representatives of all educational
institutions on Armenian studies - the Yerevan State University,
Matenadaran, the Gevorgian Seminary, the National Institute of
Education," said Ghandilyan, adding that over the course of years
numerous teachers teaching the subject have been retrained.
Church History textbooks have been in circulation since 2002, first
at selected schools, then gradually, beginning in 2006, they became
compulsory in all schools.
EDUCATION | 13.06.14 | 11:06
http://armenianow.com/society/education/55215/armenia_education_church
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
RELATED NEWS
Minister denies plans to withdraw church history from school curricula
Although by the Constitution education in Armenia is supposed to be
secular, the Church History subject and methods of its teaching are
being viewed as a major problem by some experts who say they have
arrived at the conclusion after closely examining the textbooks and
the teaching process.
Enlarge Photo Satenik Lazarian Enlarge Photo Armine Davtyan
Nevertheless, authors of the textbooks insist that the best specialists
have been involved in preparing the materials and that they have
received no complaints about the course during the 12 years of its
application.
The awakening of religious feelings that began in Armenia still in
the last years of Soviet rule and continued after Armenia gained
independence in 1991 are being used for propaganda of religion at
schools by means of the Armenian Church History subject, Satenik
Lazarian, a junior researcher at the Institute of Archeology and
Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, argued
during a related discussion on Wednesday.
"We should not turn schools into an instrument of presenting subjective
religious approaches as knowledge. One should realize that it is
a more serious problem and solutions need to be sought for that,"
the scholar explained her position, emphasizing that religion should
rather be presented to children at schools as part of sciences.
Most of the participants in the discussion focusing on cooperation
between the State and the Church in educational institutions expressed
their concern over the issue raised by Lazarian, since they insisted
that the examination of textbooks and other research had shown that
the subject is not as much about religion studies as the propaganda
of the Armenian Apostolic Church and its rites.
Experts noted that the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church begins
in the third year of teaching, i.e. in the 7th grade, before that it
is mainly the Bible, the Armenian Church's rites and traditions that
are presented.
Teacher Armine Davtyan together with two other specialists studied
all textbooks, arriving at the conclusion that during the course the
study of the history and rites of one religion [Armenian Apostolic]
is imposed on all children without taking into account the opinion
of their parents.
"Meanwhile, under Armenia's legislation, it is the parents that decide
their children's creed," she said.
And Lazarian added that as a result of the introduction of the Church
History subject a contradiction had emerged between the theory of
creation and natural sciences.
"In Grades 5-6 pupils study the theory of creation. But there is also
an answer to the question of where the human race had come from in
the textbooks on biology and world history, but these questions are
studied by those textbooks at a later age."
The specialist told of a case when a biology teacher tried to
compare the biological approach with the theory of creation. "When
the children confronted her, she tried to make a compromise by saying
that the body is physical, that is, it can be examined by biologists,
while the spirit is for God's judgment," said Lazarian.
Meanwhile, co-author of the textbook, deputy director of the National
Institute of Education Vardan Ghandilyan stated at the discussion
that during the past 12 years they have not received a single written
complaint from any citizen or teacher regarding the contents of the
textbooks or methods of teaching.
"The course was developed by representatives of all educational
institutions on Armenian studies - the Yerevan State University,
Matenadaran, the Gevorgian Seminary, the National Institute of
Education," said Ghandilyan, adding that over the course of years
numerous teachers teaching the subject have been retrained.
Church History textbooks have been in circulation since 2002, first
at selected schools, then gradually, beginning in 2006, they became
compulsory in all schools.