Life Teaches Us Lessons Every Day: Nikol Pashinyan's Message

The congratulatory message of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan: "Dear graduates of general education schools, I congratulate all of you on the occasion of your Last Bell. Today, you cross one of the most important boundaries of your life. You transition from childhood to adulthood, and the first steps of this journey await you in just weeks, when you will make decisions that will directly affect the essence and quality of your entire life.

Of course, this is primarily about choosing a profession, and I hope that our beloved teachers have equipped you during your school years with the skills necessary to make the right decision. But what is the right decision? It is to choose a profession or occupation that you love—not one that others choose for you. To select a profession that will motivate you to wake up early every day with joy and go to work, bringing benefits to others.

I believe that everyone has a mission in this life. Each of you has a mission in life, and making the right choice of profession—choosing with your soul and heart—is the process of finding that mission, which is perhaps the most crucial decision you will make in the near future. I do not want you to chase after diplomas that sometimes offer nothing. I want you to pursue your mission—be it as a teacher, scientist, doctor, soldier, businessman, artist, engineer, police officer, judge, cook, builder, locksmith, welder, server, farmer, or weaver.

I want you to believe in your mission of changing the world for the better, of improving our homeland. I also want you to have faith in your civic mission, as soon you will have the opportunity to make decisions about the future of the country as voters. I believe in you and want you to fully believe in yourselves and your future. In any case, the guarantee of that future is knowledge, education, and skills.

Dear teachers, I congratulate you as well, and I know that today, many of you and your students will shed tears. Beyond those feelings lies a responsibility, our shared responsibility for the future of the students leaving school today.

Our homeland is going through tough times, and I want to reaffirm that the solutions to all the problems we face must be sought and found first in the field of education, because all, without exception, of these problems have germinated at the very level of primary school or general education, often as a result of their absence or inadequacy.

Today, our government is implementing large-scale reforms in the field of general education. At the center of these reforms is the accessibility of quality education and the emphasis on the uniqueness of the teacher's role, with all the consequent implications and outcomes. At yesterday’s meeting of the government, I announced that ensuring quality reforms in the education sector is our most important task, and we have nothing more important to do. There is no exaggeration in this.

Dear teachers, dear graduates, today is the last lesson at school, but life teaches us lessons every day, and I wish us all great success during this never-ending learning process—for the sake of our homeland, for the sake of our generations, for the sake of our martyrs."