The issue of the Church in Armenia is again being actively discussed in a variety of contexts, including education. These questions receive contradictory comments. Religious teaching has always been a problem in countries that have declared themselves secular. If we look at the situation in Europe, we will see a similar situation. Remember the last few cases that received a fierce public response. prohibition of wearing a hijab in schools in France, prohibition of displaying a crucifix in Italy, prohibition of performing religious hymns with or without words in Britain, etc. These examples show that the presence of religion at school in many countries is unequivocally perceived.
Thus, the place of religion in school education has been widely debated in many countries. The need for the presence of religion in education, as many scholars, politicians, civil society and teachers believe, is directly related to the real socio-political situation. In addition, the issue of religious education is discussed in close connection with citizenship education, which includes human rights, civil rights and freedoms, peaceful coexistence etc.
Each country has its own peculiarities in the field of religious and civic education, which are determined by the historical tradition (in particular the history of church and state relations), the degree of multiculturalism, the socio-political structure of society, and more. These factors determine educational values and goals, in particular the content and structure of religious education.
The subject of “History of the Armenian Church” has been introduced to Armenian public schools since the 2003-2004 academic year, based on an agreement between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in 2002, and was included in 2005 as a mandatory curriculum for grades 4-10. The law stipulates that secular education is secular, and states that “religious activity and preaching in educational institutions shall be prohibited except as provided by law.”
Especially in the last few months, the issue of expediency or revision of textbooks of the subject of “History of the Armenian Church” in secondary schools has been the focus of public attention. Attempts to remove the subject “History of the Armenian Church” from the curriculum are not new, in particular, the teaching of this subject in international reports has been criticized many times.
A year ago, still acting Minister of Education Araik Harutyunyan touched upon the revision of the subject of “History of the Armenian Church”. “Yes, the history of the Armenian Church and other subjects need serious revision, as well as mathematics and teaching Russian. These cheap manipulations, which are turned into cheap headlines by the third-class media, yes, are hindering us, but we have our purpose, and despite of obstacles, we will move on. “((https://news.am/arm/news/481019.html))
On September 26, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II told reporters that the subject of “History of the Armenian Church” will continue to be taught in schools. “The issue of removing the “History of the Armenian Church” taught in schools has not been put before us. The subject will continue to be taught.”((https://armeniasputnik.am/society/20190926/20547855/hayoc-ekexecu-patmutyun-ararkan-kasharunaken-dasavandel-dprocnerum-garegin-b.html))
This quiet situation was disturbed by Arevik Anapiosyan, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia, who said in an interview with “Haykakan Zhamanak” that the subject of “History of the Armenian Church” should be “integrated” into the subject of “Armenian History”: “The Armenian Church has played an important role in the history of the Armenian people, from preservation to the many issues. And to abstract this from history and to show it separately as a parallel story is both wrong from a methodological, teaching, learning and expert point of view.”((http://www.armtimes.com/hy/article/172754))
The Deputy Minister also noted that if the Joint Committee decides not to merge the two subjects, the textbook will be renamed differently, and criteria will be developed in accordance with the Toledo Principles.
In response, Priest of the Holy Etchmiadzin Information System, Father Vahram Melikyan stated that: “The AAC is not aware of such plans and plans of the Ministry, they have not been discussed at any platform, as required by the law. Moreover, the Subcommittee on Education of the Joint Committee held one session, during which Anapiosyan assured that there is no such issue on the agenda now.”((https://www.tert.am/am/news/2019/10/30/ter-hakob-meliqyan/3129507?fbclid=IwAR2ye0q70IbTXfovuSajM0pSv9ZUQ0Q4mn-_wyKmYKeqRCAgiqQj6ZAZHKw))
Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, for his part, commented on Father Vahram Melikyan’s statement and labeled the church’s condemning remarks as hasty. He added that the deputy minister’s plans were not discussed with him. He also confirmed that the list of subjects to be taught and curricula will be reviewed in 2023, but there is no decision yet on the “controversial” subject. “The committee is working, we are regularly discussing various issues with the Catholicos and the representatives of the church. We are ready to continue the discussions and there is no need for sensation.”
Compromise options are also being discussed, and a solution may be offered to study the history of the Armenian Church not in the context of “Armenian History” but in a separate subject, but it may be called “History of Religion” (or “Religion”), which means, to study not only the history of the Apostolic Church and Christianity, but also of other religions and their histories.((https://www.24news.am/news/65690))
On November 4, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke live on Facebook of “The History of the Armenian Church” and related articles on the history of the Armenian people. In his words, the separation of these two subjects hinders understanding of the history of the Armenian people as a whole. The Prime Minister noted that it was high time for us to truly create our own united history, without departing from the history of institutions very important to our identity, given the Soviet approach.((http://www.irates.am/hy/1572948327))
During a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in France, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented his vision of educational policy. “We are now looking at what changes can be made… so that the child, upon graduating from school, receives a higher education that he or she will then enter into a prosperous life… We say a very simple thing, we say, let’s replace the “tamada” (toast-master) generation training system with the engineer training system. We are told, how are you acting against our identity? We say our identity is a strong, self-confident, militarily, industrially, economically strong Republic of Armenia.”((https://www.tert.am/am/news/2019/11/13/pashinyan/3139689))
It is not difficult to see the shortcomings of the educational policy adopted by the authorities. It is a technocratic, managerial approach. Of course, engineering education cannot replace civil education. It is another thing that modern school and university education tends to shape nationalists, not responsible citizens. The other is that we live in an age of communication, not an era of industrial capitalism, to which neither the school nor the university provides the relevant skills.
The government’s technocratic, neoliberal, efficiency-based education policy has received sharp criticism. This criticism was based on the thesis of defending national identity. Chancellor Arshak Khachatryan of the Mother See says the stance of the Mother See is unchanged: the subject should not be removed from schools: “It is based on the conviction that although “History of the Armenian Church” being a subject of general education, our new generation is able to get to know one of the pillars of identity. A value system is being taught.”((https://www.azatutyun.am/a/30256512.html))
Critics make various arguments. They refer to the constitution: “This is stated when the exclusive mission of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church in the spiritual life of the Armenian people, in its national development and preservation of national identity, is enshrined in Article 18 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.”((https://antifake.am/am/news/708)) Or that the power in Armenia is seized by a foreign network.((https://www.tert.am/am/news/2019/11/11/Malyan/3138185)) Harutyun Berberian writes: “The fact that Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the main, natural, actors in our history is more than clear. Now instead of content discourse going around historical assessments, studies, rethinking, they immediately decide that the subject is not needed.”((https://www.tert.am/am/news/2019/11/09/Berberyan/3137091)) I think the issue is not historical, but educational, and there is considerable research into this issue of religion teaching and education.
Education about religion does not mean religious education. German Philosopher Hasenclever notes that full-fledged religious education promotes democracy, and if it is ignored, then anti-democratic forces use it for their own political mobilization.((Stepanova E. A. Religion and education in Europe: debates on mutual compatibility / E. A. Stepanova // Bulletin of the Ural State University. Ser. 1, Problems of education, science and culture. – 2011. – No. 3 (92). – pp. 6-15.))
Another important issue that is not discussed in the public domain is the quality of the textbooks on this subject, the balance and comprehensiveness, the historiographical validity of scientific thought. In this respect, there are many shortcomings.
Armenia needs to provide its pupils and students with serious, scientifically sound humanistic knowledge of religion, otherwise the fanatics and xenophobes will seize the place.
