The Panarmenian Scientific Conference on the Armenian Language and Literature Was Held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
April 30, 2025
On April 29 of this year, an panarmenian scientific conference titled “Armenian Language and Armenian Literature: Development Trends, Opportunities for Popularization, and Their Reflection in the Educational Process” was held in the Presidium Hall of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
The conference was organized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (specifically the Department of Science Popularization and Development Programs), the International Scientific-Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, the H. Acharyan Institute of Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, and the M. Abeghyan Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
The event consisted of two parts: opening and welcoming remarks, followed by presentations.
Representatives from the NAS RA and the ISEC NAS RA delivered the opening remarks.
Kamo Atayan, the Head of the Department of Science Popularization and Development Programs of the NAS RA, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, and Professor, noted in his speech:
"All the sciences of the world become infused with the Armenian spirit and sound when they are presented in the Armenian language. Our language is interesting and rich. However, life and societal developments pose new challenges for it — specifically, to refine and develop the language of instruction in Armenian, and to find ways to present complex scientific knowledge in ways that are accessible to everyone, according to each individual's abilities and potential. Language is not only a means of thought, but above all, a tool for shaping national thinking, a crucial component of national identity, and a means for creating a national and patriotic image. This should be the foundation of national standards and be taught in schools across Armenia. And literature is the greatest teacher of morality, without which no development, whether state or civilizational, can take place."
Yuri Suvaryan, Academician-Secretary of the Department of Armenian Studies and Social Sciences of the NAS RA, emphasized in his speech:
"You have the honor and great responsibility to teach the Armenian language and Armenian literature — this is an extraordinarily patriotic work and the key factor that ensures the eternity of our identity. This initiative by the Academy is highly welcomed because, in order to transmit the Armenian language and literature to the younger generation, to students and beyond, at a high level, you must be aware of the latest scientific achievements, and in this sense, the connection with the Academy is extremely important."
Narine Vardanyan, the Head of the Education Quality Assurance Department of the ISEC NAS RA and the Responsible Secretary of the popular science journal "In the World of Science," noted: "For the second consecutive year, the International Scientific-Educational Center is a co-organizer of this initiative for the popularization of science, and we take on this responsibility with great love and honor, because, as one of the organizers of master's and doctoral education in the Republic of Armenia, we place great importance on the role of science popularization in society.
We would really like to see the journal “In the World of Science” spread in schools as well, with your help, and, why not, we have high expectations of seeing you among the future authors of the journal."
In the main part of the conference, 16 presentations were given by specialists in the Armenian language and literature — teachers, professors, and researchers. Among them, department heads of Armenian language and literature from various universities in Armenia also presented their reports, as did V. Katvalyan, the Director of the H. Acharyan Institute of Language at the NAS RA, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor. He provided an overview of the work being done at the Institute and shared his linguistic concerns.
The focus of the presentations was on the issues of teaching and popularizing the Armenian language and literature. Each specialist shared their professional experience, which became the subject of active and constructive discussion. Notably, teacher Astghik Mkhitaryan presented not a report on her own work, but a study of the pedagogical and methodological views of Yeghishe Charents. Literary scholar, PhD Abgar Apinyan discussed both the negative and positive aspects of the language of contemporary Armenian literature, offering several substantial insights.
Two employees of the ISEC NAS RA also presented reports — Narine Vardanyan, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, and Heghine Melkonyan, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor.
Narine Vardanyan, in co-authorship with Alvard Semirjan-Bekmezyan, Associate Professor at Yerevan State University, discussed the challenges of teaching the Armenian language in an English-speaking diplomatic environment, with the use of artificial intelligence technologies.
Heghine Melkonyan presented her authorial method for teaching and popularizing the Armenian language and literature by creating audiobooks, sharing her own experience in implementing this method.
The panarmenian conference, which was attended not only by the speakers but also by experts and non-experts, concluded in an environment of active and constructive discussions, fully achieving its goals. According to Kamo Atayan, all the proposals presented will be collected in writing, reviewed, and forwarded to the relevant institutions.
The conference program is available here:
ISEC NAS RA Department of Public Relations and Career
