In 2022, Zhanna Andreasyan became Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport. She positioned herself as a modern reformer, a promoter of inclusion and global standards in education. Two years later, we must ask directly: is Armenia’s education system being improved — or dismantled under the banner of reform?
Who is Zhanna Andreasyan?
Before becoming minister, Andreasyan was a deputy minister and civil society activist, known for her work in inclusion and human rights education. She has close ties with international grant-based organizations and is known for advocating a postmodern educational vision: emphasis on “values,” minority rights, and soft skills over tradition, knowledge, or national identity.
From the very beginning of her tenure, it became clear that Armenian history, language, and cultural continuity were not her priorities.
State of Education: Reforms, Data, and Reality
1. Textbooks Rewritten, but Not Improved
Many school textbooks were overhauled. Topics related to Armenian history, the Church, and Artsakh were diminished or removed. Teachers report that new materials are “ideological” and “content-lite.”
2. Teachers Demoralized and Overburdened
More bureaucracy, new digital platforms, more paperwork — with no real increase in pay or respect. Many are leaving the profession.
3. Knowledge Replaced by “Competency” Models
New standards focus on emotional intelligence and digital literacy. But test scores are falling, and inequality between urban and rural schools is growing.
4. Digitalization Without Infrastructure
The ministry talks about innovation, but many schools lack basic internet or computers, especially in rural regions.
5. Ideological Reengineering
• “National Values” curriculum replaced with “Civic Competencies”
• Armenian language hours reduced
• Little to no support for Russian-language schools
• Church history education sidelined
Where Is This Heading?
• Declining academic performance
• Deepening gap between Yerevan and the provinces
• National identity eroded within the classroom
• Teachers leaving the profession en masse
• A shift from education to “social reprogramming”
Who Benefits?
• International donors needing reform reports
• NGOs promoting “inclusion” and “diversity”
• Ideological actors aiming to weaken Armenian cultural institutions
Conclusion
Zhanna Andreasyan is not just changing Armenia’s education system — she is transforming its soul.
Instead of building citizens of Armenia, schools now produce global consumers with little grounding in history or language.
Instead of rooting students in tradition, the system is teaching compliance and emotional neutrality.
Patriotism is replaced by an abstract “tolerance.”
Armenia cannot afford to lose its schools. They are the last defense of national continuity.
By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group