Did the Students Not Recognize the Azerbaijani Flag? School Principal and Teacher Discuss Presentation of the Azerbaijani Flag in Class

During a geography class, an image of the Azerbaijani flag was presented, crossed out, and placed alongside the flags of all countries on students' desks. This lesson was a wrap-up class, and based solely on the image, people formed their own opinions. Svetlana Matevossyan, the principal of Sevan's 4th Primary School, shared this with Tert.am, addressing the uproar surrounding the geography wrap-up lesson where the history and flag of Azerbaijan were among those presented.

“Did the students not recognize the flag? The idea to conduct the lesson came from the geography teacher. After the class ended, the student tore the flag, and following this reaction, the child feels guilty. This is not propaganda; it’s a lesson, these topics are in the book,” said the principal.

When asked if she believed that Armenian history would be presented in a similar manner in Azerbaijani schools and if the Armenian flag would be displayed in class, Svetlana Matevossyan replied, “Yes, it would be presented; as far as I know, they teach the Armenian language in schools in Azerbaijan.”

She also noted that she was unaware of why the images and posts published on the school's Facebook page had been deleted after the uproar online.

Tert.am also spoke with geography teacher Lilit Hayrapetyan. “There was no propaganda; it was just another lesson. The children presented the history of Southwest Asian countries, including Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Georgia, and so on. I was even told how to present Azerbaijani culture, and I replied, what culture do they have to present? Present what you have covered in geography. I always encourage my students to learn the language of the enemy,” said Lilit Hayrapetyan.

Addressing the question of whether she has any familial connection to Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan, considering the criticisms that mentioned the friendship between them, Lilit Hayrapetyan said, “I am the niece of Kristine Grigoryan; what does that have to do with my class? As far away from me as possible, if something happens to me, Kristine Grigoryan won’t come because she doesn’t have the time and doesn’t deal with family matters.”

It should be noted that criticisms began circulating online after photos were published on the Facebook page of Sevan's 4th Primary School related to the presentation of Azerbaijani history and the flag during the geography lesson.