Ambaryan: children of Syrian repatriates can go to any school in Armenia

The Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia was addressed by parents of 130 children of Syrian Armenians, who asked to let their children to school. According to the decision of the Minister of Education, children of Syrian Armenians can go to any school in Armenia, said Sirvard Ambaryan, the head of the division for research and educational programmes of the department for all-Armenian programmes of the Ministry of Diaspora.

The ministry had allocated three high schools for Syrian children: No. 54 in the Komitas District; No. 62 in Nor Nork and No. 152 in the Centre. However, according to the decision of the Minister of Education Armen Ashotyan of August 29, the children of Armenians from Syria may go to any school in Armenia, explained Ms Ambaryan.

'' Syrian children are given a chance to attend any school with the aim of their quicker integration into the society. Children need to communicate with locals in order to overcome the language barrier,'' she said.

Ms Ambaryan has also noted that children can be accepted without transfer documents – only on the basis of a birth certificate or other identity document.

However, a part of immigrants from Syria have initiated establishment of schools in Armenia, where children of Syrian Armenians could receive training under usual curricular and in the Arabic language.

'' We are temporarily living in Armenia; thus, it would be correct for our children to continue their studies under their customary programme; so that when they get back to their schools in Syria they keep up with other children,'' said Nora Primosyan, an English teacher from the Cilician gymnasium of the city of Aleppo, one of the initiators of a special school for children of Syrian Armenians, where the learning should take place under the programme of Syrian schools and in the Arabic language.

Grigor Gyuldaryan, who came from Syria, intends sending his children to school No. 54 in Yerevan: his son will go to form 8, his daughter – to form 4. ''I came to Armenia and immediately baptized my children at St Echmiadzin. Now my main problem was to send them to school, so they don't lose a year',' he said.