Comments on: Yezidi School, Alagyaz http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/05/05/yezidi-school-alagyaz/ Journalism and Photography from Armenia and the Surrounding Region Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:07:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Onnik http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/05/05/yezidi-school-alagyaz/#comment-1868 Thu, 11 May 2006 19:48:46 +0100 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/05/05/yezidi-school-alagyaz/#comment-1868 Actually, many schools in Yerevan are poorly equipped, but yes, the problem with schools is common throughout the regions. However, drop-out rates in [Armenian ] refugee and national minority communities is higher than the national average. In part this is because of the culture of some minorities -- for example, the situation with Assyrians is not so bad as Yezidi and Molokans for this reason -- but also very definitely another reason is economic. According to a recent study another problem is the lack of pre-school education and kindergartens in minority villages. This generally means that minority kids don't have a grasp of Armenian and take longer to get up to speed. Guess that doesn't really relate to your question though, so yes, the condition of schools in the regions is pretty bad -- including armenians -- but other factors can make the situation worse for minorities. Actually, I'd like to see attention almost totally switch to the suburbs of Yerevan AND the regions. We've had enough development -- perhaps over-development -- in central Yerevan and now people should be looking elsewhere. Tax incentives for investing outside of central Yerevan, for example. Anyway, I wrote an article on minority education in Armenia for UNICEF. It's <a href="http://www.unicef.org/armenia/reallives_2345.html">here</a>. Actually, many schools in Yerevan are poorly equipped, but yes, the problem with schools is common throughout the regions. However, drop-out rates in [Armenian ] refugee and national minority communities is higher than the national average. In part this is because of the culture of some minorities — for example, the situation with Assyrians is not so bad as Yezidi and Molokans for this reason — but also very definitely another reason is economic. According to a recent study another problem is the lack of pre-school education and kindergartens in minority villages.

This generally means that minority kids don’t have a grasp of Armenian and take longer to get up to speed. Guess that doesn’t really relate to your question though, so yes, the condition of schools in the regions is pretty bad — including armenians — but other factors can make the situation worse for minorities. Actually, I’d like to see attention almost totally switch to the suburbs of Yerevan AND the regions. We’ve had enough development — perhaps over-development — in central Yerevan and now people should be looking elsewhere.

Tax incentives for investing outside of central Yerevan, for example. Anyway, I wrote an article on minority education in Armenia for UNICEF. It’s here.

]]> by: Anarchistian http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/05/05/yezidi-school-alagyaz/#comment-1866 Thu, 11 May 2006 16:04:40 +0100 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/05/05/yezidi-school-alagyaz/#comment-1866 Hi Onnik, I just have a question - are schools (classrooms) in the REGIONS typically like the one in the first picture, or is it that Yezidi schools are poorly equipped (in all senses of the word)? Hi Onnik,

I just have a question - are schools (classrooms) in the REGIONS typically like the one in the first picture, or is it that Yezidi schools are poorly equipped (in all senses of the word)?

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