ANTELIAS, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS: Initiated by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and organized by the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia an International Conference on Armenian education was held in the Armenian Theological Seminary, in Bikfaya, Lebanon from 5-7 August 2004. The theme of the Conference was “The Armenian Education in the Diaspora”. About one hundred people from different parts of the world, from communities living in different political, cultural and religious contexts came together to focus their attention on issues pertaining to the Armenian-Christian formation today in a new world setting.
In his opening address His Holiness Aram I identified the concerns and challenges facing the Armenian Christian education in the context of pluralistic societies. He addressed a number of critical issues, and then posed two questions. What does it mean to be Armenian Christian? How should we form the Armenian Christian for tomorrow? His Holiness underscored the crucial importance of re-evaluating and renewing our educational methodologies, strategies and programs by making them more relevant and reliable. At the end of his address His Holiness proposed that Armenia and Diaspora together engage in a process of developing a Pan-Armenian educational policy with particular emphasis on the worldwide Armenian Diaspora.
The agenda of the conference included the following topics: The actual state of education in different continents where Armenian communities live; the implications of globalization to education; the role of the church in Armenian Christian formation; the family as an important educational instrument; the impact of pluralistic societies on Armenian Education; the use and misuse of technology in education; the role of the textbooks and the extra curricula activities; human resources: formation and training; the contribution of the Saturday schools, Sunday schools and children’s camps to education; the importance of new community schools for the Armenian communities established in the West.
The conference addressed these and a number of related matters through papers, panel discussions and hearings. The active participation of young educators and women provided new perspectives and dynamism to the discussion. They challenged the traditional views and approaches and constantly reminded that in a new world context a renewed perception and vision of education are imperative. They echoed the challenge of His Holiness that in the present world of globalization and communication and in a context of new societies, our education must become more responsive and attractive.
His Holiness personally attended all the sessions and at the end of each session he highlighted the emerging concerns and views.
The conference, which was an unprecedented event in the contemporary Armenian history, summarized its findings in a declaration where a particular emphasis was laid on the importance of translating the Conference’s reflection into action.
In his closing remarks His Holiness Aram I identified three words which should occupy a central place in our educational work: “relevance, coherence and integrity”. He said “We are living in different contexts. We must, therefore, develop different educational procedures and strategies. We are citizens of different countries, yet we are Armenians and part of the globalized world. We have our own convictions, values and norms, but we are living in a new environment. Hence, it is vitally important that we develop the kind of educational policy that provides integrity, relevance and coherence to our educational work, at the same time preserving our distinct Armenian Christian identity. This is a great challenge before us and we must take it seriously and responsibly”, said His Holiness.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.