Armenian alumni of International Parliamentary Scholarship against opening of foreign language schools

The Union of Armenian Alumni of the International Parliamentary Scholarship program has sent an open letter to President Serzh Sargsyan, expressing a sorrow that the parliament-approved amendments to the Law on Language has paved the way for the opening of foreign language schools in Armenia.

The members of the union particularly state:

"Having studied in Armenian schools in different regions of Armenia, we find that such step conflicts with the letter and spirit of Armenia's Constitution and Declaration of Independence, endangering our language, the primary attribute of our state. Being the witness of the lowering quality of Armenian and foreign language teaching in Armenia, we consider that the opening of foreign language schools will not enhance the quality of foreign language teaching. It will only restrict lower income classes' access to further progress.

By adopting such changes, we will lose the unanimous linguistic environment for a public discourse and civil society, posing a serious threat to our state's functional security and democratic progress."

With this letter, the alumni of the German Bundestag program call on the president not to sign the amended bill into law.