YEREVAN, JULY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The opening ceremony of the 8th Summer Courses of Diasporan Armenian Teachers took place on July 30. 65 teachers from more than 15 countries are attending this year's courses that will begin on July 31 and finish on August 25. Ethnogaphy, national painting, songs and literature, and some other subjects will be taught by specialists from Armenia and the Diaspora. The RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian, Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian, the rector of the State Pegagogical University after K. Abovian Artush Ghukasian, experts from the Diaspora made speeches of welcome. "The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is one of the greatest advocates for the development of cooperation and links between Armenia and the Diaspora, and these courses are an efficient manifestation of efforts to keep the Armenian spirit and culture alive at Armenian Diasporan schools," the executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund Vahe Aghabekian said. The training courses of Diasporan Armenian teachers are run by the "Spyurk" ("Diaspora") scientific and cultural center. Since 1996, the program has been implemented in Argentina - for teachers of the local community, and since 2000, also it has been implemented in Armenia for Diasporan Armenian teachers from various countries.

---