On October 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., the Branch Republican Trade Union of Workers’ of Culture of Armenia once again celebrated Teacher’s Day and Librarian’s Day in the meeting hall of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA).
In addition to the 22 teachers and librarians who were awarded certificates of merit by the Branch Union, the reception was attended by members of its Executive Committee, chairpersons of trade union committees of affiliated organizations, and guests.
The 36 participants represented the year’s outstanding trade union activists from educational institutions and libraries in 13 locations across Armenia: Armavir, Artashat, Abovyan, Gavar, Goris, Dilijan, Yerevan, Yeghegnadzor, Tumanyan (Shnogh), Spitak, Sevan, Vanadzor, and Vardenis.
On the occasion of these professional holidays, E. Simonyan, President of the Branch Union, congratulated the participants and delivered welcoming remarks (attached), followed by the award ceremony, during which certificates of merit were presented by the Branch Union.
CTUA certificates of merit were also awarded to N. Muradyan, a member of the Branch Union’s Executive Committee and long-serving chairperson of the trade union organization at the National Gallery of Armenia, in recognition of her 70th birthday and 22 years of service, and to A. Avagyan, a member of the Gallery’s trade union committee, for 43 years of dedicated trade union activism.
The trade union members expressed their gratitude through words of appreciation, congratulated one another, and suggested incorporating their musical talents into next year’s celebrations.

Welcoming Address by E. Simonyan, President of the Republican Branch Union of Cultural Workers

Hello, dear colleagues and guests!
I am very happy and delighted to see you here today, participating in this important event. I hope you have come in a festive mood and with the expectation that your best wishes will come true.
We will do our best not to disappoint you.
Today’s event is dedicated to Teacher’s Day and Librarian’s Day, which are celebrated annually in the Republic of Armenia on October 5 and 7, respectively. Our Republican Branch Union also celebrates these occasions, but a little later, so as not to interfere with events organized locally. Since the two holidays are officially celebrated only two days apart, and those responsible for them serve one common and noble purpose—the development and improvement of individuals and society—we allow ourselves to celebrate them together.
We congratulate you and ourselves on these holidays. I would like to emphasize the following: you are surely aware that many professional holidays are celebrated in our country, including Theatre Day, Museum Day, and Press Day. All are important and meaningful, but in our time, Teacher’s Day and Librarian’s Day—the day dedicated to the messengers and custodians of books and literature—have acquired exceptional significance.
It might seem unnecessary to speak about the role, importance, and work of teachers and librarians, since they know these things far better than anyone else. Yet it is difficult to remain silent on a festive occasion, even when it is challenging to speak in the presence of teachers about their work and the many obstacles they face in fulfilling their mission.
These difficulties are a consequence of the rapid changes taking place in the lives of individuals and society, the emergence of new social relationships, and the disturbing methods increasingly used in political struggles: blatant and shameless lies, a deficit of honesty, conspiracy theories, manipulation, the pursuit of personal interests alone, and hypocrisy.
Since all this takes place under the false and dangerous guise of apparent ideological conviction, it leads to an irreversible loss—or a serious shortage—of mutual trust, hope, faith, and love. Considering that the entire public witnesses and hears these developments, it is not difficult to imagine how deeply society’s moral fabric is being eroded.
On the other hand, we are witnessing rapid technological progress and development, along with the risks associated with artificial intelligence, robotization, and the gradual displacement of the human factor. The future is becoming entirely new and uncertain.
I am reminded of Confucius’s words: “May you live in interesting times.”
These are the challenges facing our society in these complex times. Under such circumstances, teachers, guided by their calling and intuition, have a responsibility to remain attuned to the pulse of human and societal development, renewal, and progress.
It does not matter which subject a teacher teaches—language, literature, art history, music, or painting. What matters is that they possess the qualities required of a true teacher and embrace teaching as a vocation, not merely as a profession backed by a diploma.
Every era has had difficulties that seemed insurmountable. Yet outstanding and genuine teachers, such as Sukhomlinsky, Makarenko, Khachatur Abovyan, and others, managed, despite the challenges, to find the key to successfully educating and nurturing human beings.
The conclusion is clear: a country and a state are strong and powerful when they have strong and genuine teachers. Collapsing societies lack such teachers—or do not have enough of them to make a meaningful difference.
In the famous Lament by our great poet and historian Movses Khorenatsi—call him what you will—one of the major reasons he identifies for the loss of the country and its statehood is the degradation of teachers. When teachers become ignorant, arrogant, and greedy for gold, society, the country, and the homeland also face ruin.
Khorenatsi’s observations and assessments of the teachers of his time date back to his return from abroad in 440 AD. He contrasts those teachers with the upright, honest, and genuine educators who taught and shaped him and his students.
As for the guardians, messengers, and cultivators of our books and literature—that is, our librarians—I would like to say the following: despite their quiet, modest, tireless, and often unnoticed daily work, they are among the richest members of our nation, serving as the custodians and stewards of our spiritual treasury: books, literature, and culture.
Once again, I sincerely congratulate all of you and all of us, because your achievements are shared by us and by our entire nation.
As every year, this year the trade union committees of schools and libraries, in coordination with their respective directors, nominated the year’s outstanding employees and active trade union members to the Branch Union. They were awarded certificates of merit by the Branch Union along with a cash prize of AMD 15,000 each.
I would like to present the certificates in alphabetical order so that no one might think the Branch Union makes distinctions based on where people live.
In addition, the librarians have another gift: a work by historian Anzhela Teryan about the ancient Armenian state of Aratta.