The role of Abovyan, the founder of the new pedagogic system, is inestimable in the sphere of education. He developed our pedagogical mind, renewed our school. Abovyan was the first to create an advanced educational system by the rules of which the Armenian school has being governed since then.
In 1937-1843 in Tiflis and then in 1843-1848 in Yerevan Abovyan worked as an inspector of the provincial schools, and at the same time he taught German and Russian, geography, history, etc. He also opened a private boarding-school.
‘The world of the child always was the most desirable for me among the things that are sweet to heart. To teach them is everything for me in this world…’
It should be said that Abovyan was not only a teaacher, but also a scientist and innovator. He compiled many manuals and text-books full of progressive ideas, dictionaries, wrote pedagogical novels, stories, composed songs, thought of the games which were not once rewritten and distributed among the pupils.
Abovyan submitted to the higher authorities many suggestions and claims to rise the level of teaching Russian in the Armenian schools, to increase the quantity of the Armenian language lessons, to provide schools with high-class teachers.
In the sphere of education, the concepts proposed by Abovyan were mainly aimed at:
•Spreading secular education instead of the religious one, teaching natural and exact sciences.
•Making the whole system of enlightenment popular.
•The training of different nations, sexes and social classes based on equal rights.
•Forming special school legislation, manuals and text-books based on the training project.
Abovyan greatly valued the role of the family in the child`s upbringing. He required that a teacher should prove his sublime rank by his deeds.
During the years of pedagogical activity Abovyan was formed as a great humanist, advocate of friendship between peoples.
Kh. Abovyan was one of the firsts to refuse Grabar (The Old Armenian language). He had an early aim to write in an understandable language. Ashkharhabar (The New Armenian language) was too vital for the Armenians, who had lost their statehood for centuries and spoiled their language. In this case the clear and understandable language was the only way to reach mutual understanding and unification among the Armenians.
The first basic stone of the new Armenian education, the first new Armenian language textbook was the alphabet written in 1837 ‘Nakhashavigh Krtutyan I Pets Noravarzhits’ (The First Steps to Education). The book moved the static educational thought of the time.
Abovyan did not confined with elementary and secondary knowledge of parish schools and aimed at modern educational methods, only with the help of which it was possible to have social rules, nation and state.
Abovyan tried to realize his advanced pedagogical views both in his practical pedagogical work and in the textbooks and manuals compiled by him.
Among the books compiled by Abovyan in the first place must be mentioned his famous ‘Nakhashavigh’ (The First Steps to Education). It is a primer and reading book for teaching elements of knowledge of the Armenian language.
For teaching Russian grammar Abovyan wrote a voluminous book ‘The new theoretical and practical Russian grammar for the Armenians’.
A manual ‘Ancient history’ is a valuable work, which throws light on Abovyan’s historical, philosophical views and didactic methods. The book tells about kings, generals, church and political figures, wars and invasions.
In his pedagogical work Abovyan used the school manual ‘Cosmology’, which is rich of didactic-methodical instructions.
One more school manual compiled by Abovyan is the work ‘The discovery of America’. The author tells not only about the discovery of America but also gives geographical facts about other continents.
Still in Derpt years Abovyan worked out a whole programme on economic and cultural development of Transcaucasia and Armenia. Particularly, for economic development of the country and raising the prosperity of the nation Abovyan offers to develop industry, first of all for local natural resources and cultivating raw materials purpose. It is necessary to be occupied in cultivation and cattle-breeding more rationally, to implant and expand a number of agricultural and technical crops (potato, tobacco, cotton, silk, vegetable dyes).
One of the main goals of these undertakings would be an improvement of workers and particularly the peasants’ condition. ‘I wish them not wealth but they would be able to get their everyday food and had enough means to dress regular’.
ABOVYAN AND ART
One of the characteristic and substantial sides of Abovyan multilateral activity is the Fine Arts. There were many mentions that testify that Abovyan considered that the fine arts are the main factors of reaching a real education and enlightenment. In the 19th century of the Armenian reality Abovyan was the first great figure who beside University education acquainted professional musical preparedness. After returning to motherland Abovyan undertook to write a work about Armenian spiritual and secular music, which he later on presented to the Academy of Sciences of Petersburg. Unfortunately, the registers and records of sittings are remaining silent on the indicated article. In his article Abovyan definitely underlined the national character and originality of the Armenian spiritual and secular music, gave a precise, appraisal to the church music of the time: the absence of instrumentation, unison, strong distortion in the result of the oral passing. In his article Abovyan raise the problem of investigation of the Armenian folk music. In 1835, on 22 of January Abovyan accidentally met a famous painter Stepanos Nersessyan at an Armenian priest’s place. After being informed about the objects of the painter, Abovyan decided to help. Abovyan made a request to Russian writer V. Zhukovski and academician G. Parrot to assist Nersessyan to go to the Academy of Fine Arts. ‘The Encouragement Company of Painters’ of Petersburg took into account the scanty financial status and the great eager for the art of the painter, nominated a scholarship for getting education at the Academy of Fine Arts. KHACHATUR ABOVYAN-THE FOUNDER OF THE
FIRST MUSEUM OF HOMELAND STUDIES
In the years of Abovyan’s pedagogical activity in Yerevan Provincial School in 1846 Abovyan founded the first Museum of Homeland Studies. The study of homeland studies was roomed in the library of the school. There were preserved and presented historical, geological samples and antiquities of Yerevan. There were also preserved four wonderful capitals of the pagan temple of Bash-Garni by Abovyan efforts. Unfortunately, the first study-museum existed for a short time because of Abovyan’s disappearance. The first study-museum founded by Abovyan later on became the modern prototype of the historical and geological museums, as well as studies of geography and history.
KHACHATUR ABOVYAN-THE HEAD OF THE LIBRARY
During the years of the inspectorate at Yerevan Provincial School, Abovyan payed much attention to the Armenian National Library, which began to have a real progress from 1843. Before Abovyan’s appointment as an inspector, he knew all the bookshops, famous publishers and booksellers of Derpt, Petersburg, Kazan and Tiflis. He acquired books from these cities by means of postal sending. The known literature of Russia was reached to Yerevan owing to Abovyan: journals, various educational manuals, text-books, belles-lettres. In the archives were preserved various letters of Abovyan to Russian publishers with a request to send books and magazines. Abovyan didn’t ignore also the Armenian literature. It is conformed by the letter of Abovyan to the director of Tiflis Gymnasium. In his letter Abovyan asked him to send some Armenian books and journals. Due to this activity Abovyan became the first head of Library. The numerous and of many genres books and magazines recruited by Abovyan are kept in the National Armenian Library till now.