Azerbaijani language classes are being introduced in three public schools across Armenia for the 2025–2026 academic year. This was reported by Panorama, citing Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. Panorama had submitted a written inquiry to the ministry regarding Azerbaijani language instruction in public schools, to which the ministry provided a detailed response.
Under the program, Azerbaijani and Turkish may be taught only to students in grades 10–12, while Persian and Georgian can be introduced starting from grade 5. Participation is voluntary and depends on the availability of qualified instructors.
As part of this program, regional language instruction was introduced in the 2022–2023 academic year as either a third foreign language or an extracurricular subject group. Azerbaijani, Turkish, Persian, and Georgian are currently taught at various general education institutions in Armenia.
The ministry explained that the initiative stems from the Armenian government’s 2021 decisions — including Decree No. 1363-A (August 18, 2021) and Decree No. 1902-L (November 18, 2021) — which approved the 2021–2026 state education program and its accompanying measures. These decisions mandate the expansion of foreign and regional language instruction, including Russian, English, French, and neighboring regional languages. To implement these measures, the Minister of Education formally approved specialized curricula for regional languages.
The ministry noted that the national education standard requires secondary school graduates to demonstrate proficiency in at least two foreign languages, enabling them to communicate fluently with native speakers, read and comprehend diverse texts, and express ideas clearly in both spoken and written form.
It added that the program is not mandatory. Schools may independently decide whether to introduce regional languages, provided they have qualified instructors and follow curricula approved by the Minister of Education. In accordance with Article 26 of Armenia’s Law on General Education, teachers delivering regional language instruction must meet established qualification standards and provide proof of language proficiency.
The ministry clarified that no official list of participating schools is maintained, as each institution independently determines whether to offer regional language instruction based on these approved guidelines.
In the 2022–2023 academic year, the regional languages teaching program was implemented in 33 general education institutions in Armenia, of which 13 offered Persian, 3 Georgian, 13 Turkish, and 4 Azerbaijani.
