Armenia to introduce Azerbaijani language in three schools

Armenia to introduce Azerbaijani language in three schools
Reuters

Armenia will offer Azerbaijani as an optional subject for 10-12th grade students in three schools from the 2025/2026 academic year as part of a state programme to develop foreign and regional languages.

Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport will from the 2025/2026 academic year pilot Azerbaijani language teaching in three schools under a government programme aimed at broadening pupils’ access to the languages of neighbouring countries. The initiative is presented as part of wider efforts to modernise curricula, expand regional studies and give senior students practical language skills that could be used in future education or employment.

According to the ministry’s framework, Azerbaijani will be taught only on a voluntary basis and only to pupils in grades 10 to 12. Schools will be allowed to open groups if there is both student demand and qualified teaching staff. Education officials have underlined that the scope of the programme will depend directly on whether suitable teachers are available, which means the number of schools and groups could change once the project starts.

The measure is included in Armenia’s current state plan on the development of foreign and regional languages, which promotes greater exposure to the languages of the South Caucasus and wider region. By adding Azerbaijani to the list of offered languages, Yerevan is signalling that it wants schoolchildren to have more flexible learning options and to understand the linguistic environment of the region more fully.

At this stage the programme is limited to three schools, based on the announcement cited by Armenian media, although in earlier years officials had mentioned Azerbaijani being taught in a slightly higher number of institutions. That suggests the figure may be adjusted as the ministry finalises staffing and curriculum details. For now, the ministry will coordinate teacher selection, teaching materials and oversight to ensure that the new subject is in line with national education standards.

Tags