7 Errors in the Compiling of the Armenian History Textbook Identified by Experts

The experts have reviewed the 7th-grade Armenian history textbook and formulated a unified viewpoint, which is confirmed by the document titled 'Professional Conclusion.' This has been reported by the 'Preservation of Armenian Historical Monuments' NGO.

According to the announcement, 'Considering the examined textbook, we find that it does not meet the necessary conditions for introduction into the general education system of schools. Therefore, we request the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia to suspend the use of this textbook in the educational process.'

The experts identified 7 errors:

1. The textbook was created with incorrect conceptual and systemic approaches. Specifically, a history textbook cannot be written by a single person; it should be prepared by a group of experts on different historical periods.
2. The text is dominated by speculative approaches. During the teaching of history, unverified hypotheses and assumptions should be excluded, and the text itself should be based on indisputable facts.
3. The text of the textbook has not gone through appropriate expert and professional review phases, resulting in a significant portion of errors and inaccuracies remaining uncorrected.
4. The textbook contains unnecessary narrow technical and academic terms that complicate the presentation and perception of the material for students, creating additional problems for teachers as well. It is evident that the educational and age-specific features of the students have not been taken into account.
5. A superficial approach is evident regarding important historical events presented in the textbook, while there are also instances where unnecessary details are included.
6. The textbook, which is supposed to adequately teach the origins of the Armenian people and their rich past in statehood, culture, and spiritual heritage, has not been properly prepared to meet these important substantive requirements.
7. The visual materials included in the textbook were selected arbitrarily and without any conceptual framework. The QR codes present in the text are not properly thought out, the age-specific characteristics of the students have not been considered, the explanations of the didactic materials are absent, and there are many and obvious inaccuracies in the cartographic material.

The experts also found technical shortcomings; appropriate publication work was not conducted, the font used in the publication and the combination of images and text are disproportionate, to the detriment of the visual materials, which simply get lost instead of conveying additional information. In some parts, due to line spacing, the words are glued together across the line. The textbook contains stylistic and editorial inaccuracies as well.

The professional group that prepared the conclusion, rejecting any anti-scientific manifestations, wishes to keep the issue within the scope of scientific discussions and eliminate any attempts at personalized criticism or patronage. They are calling on their pedagogical and historian colleagues to join them with their opinions and constructive suggestions.

It should be noted that the conclusion has been signed by 19 experts, most of whom are doctors of historical sciences and professors.

It is worth reminding that the 7th-grade Armenian history textbook authored by PhD Sambat Hovhannisyan has been actively discussed and criticized in various professional circles for a long time. Experts point out numerous mistakes, particularly concerning the Urartian period, and there is no mention that the history of Yerevan begins with Erebuni.