Commentary: Decolonization of Culture

During the Soviet era, education was taken very seriously. Besides the pseudo-science of Marxism-Lenism, which was the laughing stock of teachers and students equally, students received a solid educational background, equipped to compete with any country. Independence brought confusion and chaos to the educational system. Aspiring to be integrated into the European structures, Armenia subscribed to the Bologna Convention, which still is not well defined in Armenia and thus has been wreaking havoc. The Bologna Convention, which tries to homogenize the educational systems of participating countries, has not been fully absorbed in Armenia.

Now comes a new threat with a draft law, which the Minister of Education Armen Ashotian has proposed. The draft law, which has been sent to the parliament for adoption, intends to reintroduce into the public schools a medium of instruction other than Armenian language.

There is an outcry against this decision in Armenia. This is like superimposing globalization over provincialism, which is rampant today in Armenia’s educational system. The Armenian language has suffered tremendously and distortions on store signs, news media, and even in literature have been plaguing the country for a long time.

One parliament member, Anahit Bakhshyan, has stated: “Currently, it is not the reopening of the foreign language schools, but rather the poor level of the Armenian language at our schools that is a threat.”

The president of the Public Council, Vazgen Manoukian, has offered an even harsher criticism: “The minister of education says, ‘I cannot raise the quality of education, I must bring schools from abroad.’ This must be considered ridiculous, if not tragic. …We were trying to take a step forward, but this project is a step toward an abyss. Many scholars have concluded that it is essential that the child obtain basic education in his/her mother tongue and only then learn foreign languages.”

The fight is not against learning foreign languages; it is against substituting Armenian state schools with foreign-language schools.

Armenia is still adjusting to its newly-acquired status of an independent nation and copying ready-made models seems the most palatable option, which in the long run may compromise the national identity of the country.

This issue is not a satirical case like the one in the French novel — it is a real issue, which cuts deep into our national psyche.

We hope criticisms and the national outcry will yield some results soon and this race toward embracing alien cultures without scrutiny would be halted immediately. A sober reassessment will result in the decolonization of our language and culture.