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The State of Armenian 
Education in Brief

The fate of Armenia has been extremely harsh and exceptionally hard. Roman,Persian, Byzantine, Arabic, Seljuk, Mongol, and Ottoman invaders passed
through Armenia spreading awe and terror around. They ruined and devastated Armenia,
destroyed its cultural values. The Armenian people who left for distant countries
continued their work there. Deprived of a statehood of any kind, Armenians developed
their culture mostly beyond the borders of the country – in Russia, the Crimea, Georgia,
Italy, Poland, France, India and elsewhere. The Western school has also an interesting
history. Basically it developed out of Armenia. The Western school of Armenia was
relatively organized in two cities – in Karin and Van.

In the early 19th century Costantinople with more than 200. 000 Armenians
presented the mosaique of Western Armenians. In 1859 there were 42 and in 1901 - 40
Armenian elementary and secondary schools in K. Polis. Under the reign of bloody
Abdul Hamid, the Armenian school was gradually formed and later became the victim
of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.

The second city next to Costantinople with regard to its Armenian population was
Zmurnia – Izmir, where in 1799 the Mesropian School – one of the famous and lasting
educational institutions, was founded.

In 1877-1878 on the eve of the Russian-Turkish war, the number of Armenian
schools in operation on the territory of Turkey reached 450. They had more than 24.000
pupils.

The academic life was relatively in a better state in Russia, where a great number
of Armenians had found their homes. In 1813 Nerses Ashtaraketsi, the Catholicos of All
Armenians, managed to reopen a school in Echmiadzin. At that time there were a few
private schools in Yerevan. 

By 1828 Eastern Armenia had become a part of Russia. Favorable conditions were
created for the revival of the economic and cultural life in the country. Besides the
schools in Moscow, Astrakhan, Teodossia, New Nakhijevan, schools were also set up in
the cities of Transcaucasia. In 1874 Gevorgyan Chemarian was established in
Echmiadzin, which aimed at training teachers and clergymen of the Armenian Church.
The Gevorgyan Chemaran (college) greatly boosted the development of the Armenian
culture, literature and the Armenian language, in particular. Besides Armenian, foreign
languages were also included in the curriculum. Most of the graduates were engaged in
pedagogy, social-political or scientific activities. 

The number of national educational institutions kept on growing. Parish and
elementary schools were opened one after another in rural areas. In 1830-1895, 208
elementary and secondary schools were set up in Eastern Armenia. Two systems of
school education

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Yerevan State University is 90 Years Old Armenian Folia Anglistika



were developed in the country – elementary single-form, two-form schools and
state secondary schools where the teaching was conducted in Russian. State Secondary
schools were financed by the Tsarist government and by the parents of the pupils. As far
as Single-form, two-form schools and spiritual ones are concerned, the subjects were
taught in Armenian and the schools were supported by the means of the population,

various charities and partly by the church.
The Tsarist government was seriously
concerned about the alarming number of
growing schools. This was the key reason
why all Armenian churches and diocese-
based schools were closed down in 1896.
The situation partly changed in 1905-07,
during the period of the First Russian
Revolution when the Tsarist government
permitted to open the Armenian schools.
In rather a short period of time not only
the old ones were reopened, but new
schools were established, as well. In

1915-1916 there were already 12 state and 195 elementary schools with 36,544 pupils.
The number of the secondary schools reached 12: the gymnasium, trade schools, parish
school, Gevorkian Chemaran (Academy), teachers’ seminary etc. where more than 4300
pupils studied. The situation changed drastically in 1916. The education in Armenia
suffered a serious decline because of the First World War. 

Lazarian Chemaran (Aca-
demy) in Moscow and Nersisian
School in Tbilisi played a crucial
role in the history of the Armenian
culture and education. These
institutions operated a whole
century and played a most decisive
role in the development of the
national education and culture.
Within 10 years this university gave
the country more than 155 Armenian doctors and 230 lawyers.

Many Armenians graduated from many other higher educational institutions in
Russia in addition to Moscow University. 

Late in the 19th century the number of Armenians studying in European Universities
increased, too.

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Armenian Folia Anglistika Yerevan State University is 90 Years Old

Gevorkian Chemaran (Academy)

Lazarian Chemaran (Academy)