President welcomes students and winners of the international Olympiads

President Serzh Sargsyan received graduates of schools and medalists who showed high academic performance in the 2016-17 schooling year, the schoolchildren who successfully performed at international Olympiads, as well as the prize-winners of Kangaroo international contest of mathematics and Meghu Armenian language competition.

The President addressed the audience with welcoming remarks. He answered the questions of interest to schoolchildren, after which together with the Minister of Education and Science, he handed medals and certificates to the winners of international Olympiads and school graduates. The participants of the meeting received incentive gifts from the President.

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The President’s remarks at a meeting with schoolchildren and teenagers who have won International Olympiads

Dear children,

Dear young people,

I am pleased to welcome you at the Presidency of the Republic of Armenia. Once again, I warmly congratulate you on your successful performance at International Olympiads, Kangaroo and Meghu competitions, as well as on the occasion of graduation.

Your achievements are giving strength and energy to our people, inspire me personally and instill faith in our country’s bright future. Such meetings have become traditional, and you may understand why.

We want to emphasize that we associate the future of our country with the development of science and education. We also want your example to be contagious for your peers, your friends and classmates. The thirst for science and education, if it can be considered a good infection, can never be prevented; on the contrary, we want the infection spread everywhere.

Our people has always loved schooling and aspired to science. Dear children and young people, you know that the Armenian nation is spread all over the world; wherever the Armenians went, they first of all set up a school. Of course, they set up a school in order to preserve their native language, but they have never been restricted to the native language, and tried to get the breakthrough ideas and move them to Homeland through localization and follow-up. This is why our people managed to overcome numerous hardships and challenges for thousands of years and reach the 21st century. With your love for science you are contributing to our people’s survival.

I would like to thank you for your curiosity and diligence, because curiosity alone cannot lead to serious achievements. I am well aware of the hard work our distinguished schoolchildren, the golden medalists and Olympiad winners have done. It is my wish that this purposefulness, curiosity and especially diligence accompany you throughout your life.

Well-being comes with knowledge. Knowledge is the basis of competitiveness. In this sense, the State is always ready to stand by each of you.

I would like you to accede to the best universities after graduating from high school or even halfway through the school. I would like that most of you embraced the scientific career after graduating from the university because, as I said, the love of knowledge and education led our people to the 21st century. So, you must live up to the efforts made by your predecessors in both medieval and modern times.

We stand ready to assist and support you on a regular basis. Of course, I am grateful to your parents, who on the one hand, managed to spread this infection and on the other hand, did everything possible to provide the necessary conditions for you to be well educated and achieve results.

But you should know that you are the main hero - you are the creators of history. Your parents and teachers help you as your elders, support from the position of a more knowledgeable, but if you do not have the desire and diligence you will hardly be able to achieve serious results.