David Yang applies to the Minister of Education and Science of Armenia

David Yang, co-founder at Ayb School, applies to the Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan.

“I am proud that I was born in Armenia. My mother is Armenian and my father is Chinese. I spent the first 17 years of my life in Yerevan. Armenia gave me the most important thing in my life – education. I became a student of МФТИ, #1 college in the USSR, not only because of my parents, both physicists, not only because of ЕрФИ, not only because of my teachers Gagik Grigorian, Arshavir Stepanyan and many other brilliant teachers of ФМШ (PhysMath School), BUT also because of my older schoolmates and Olympiad winners, Matevos Aramyan and Ashot Aslanyan, who taught us physics.

Today my first company ABBYY is a global leader in AI with offices in 11 countries, with more than 1000 employees, 400 patents and 50 million users in 200 countries.
In 2006, 8 graduates of ФМШ/МФТИ – Aram Pakhchanian , Arthur Berd, Ashot Aslanian, David Pakhchanian, David Yang, Kharen Musaelyan, Karo Sargsyan and Fr. Mesrop (Matevos) Aramian – who achieved significant professional and business success in their lives came together at my apartment and decided to give back to Armenia and Armenian education. Because education is the only thing which can transform the world and make it a better place. To this end, we committed to donate our own funds and to attract many more people from all over the world to create:

a) a “school of the future” and
b) an education foundation which will significantly improve the quality of education in hundreds of other schools in Armenia.

We believe the ongoing efforts the Ayb community, including members of that community
David Sahakyan, Gagik Grigoryan, Anahit Adamyan, Ashot Aslanian, Ashot Tumasyan, Ashot Mkrtchyan, Avetik Chalabyan, Aram Aramyan, Aram Pakhchanian, Areg Zakoyan, Artur Alaverdyan, Arthur Berd, Arthur Tovmasyan, Artur Janibekyan, Armen Khechoyan, Armen Kazarov, Armine Arustamyan, Arsen Galstyan, Arsen Ghazaryan, Arsen Mamikonyan, Artak Oganesyan, Artashes Shirikyan, Artyom Grigoryan, David Yang, David Pakhchanian, Levon Kazarian, Levon Frndjibachian, Kharen Musaelian, Karo Sargsyan, Manuk Hergnyan, Martiros Minasyan, Julia Danielyan, Natalia Ryzhkova, Ruben Harutyunyan, Rouben Simonian, Sahak Petrosyan, Samvel Dovlatyan, Sargis Badalyan, Sergey Stepaniants, Suren Arutyunyan, Vahe Amirbekyan, Vardan Babikyan, Victor Akulian, Armen Melkumyan, Armen Shahinyan, Arsen Aghajanyan, Artem Konstandian, Garib Movsisyan, Sergey Hambardzumyan, Alena Yang, Silva Yang, Yang Shi and many other our friends have committed during the last 12 years have brought us closer to our original goal.

My kids attend one of the top schools in Silicon Valley where middle and high schools are considered the best in the US. I can tell you with confidence that Ayb School is absolutely on a par with them. I will leave it to others to say more about Ayb School and the education it provides. The bottom line is that Ayb School is stronger than many of the schools that are considered the best in the US.

Our original and ultimate goal was NOT to create ONE GOOD SCHOOL. We wanted to fundamentally raise the bar of education in the whole Armenia. It means to enlighten and develop teachers by imparting them new teaching skills and methods, increase the salaries of the best teachers from $150/month to $1000/month, upgrade the equipment in schools, which are motivated to raise the bar, and more importantly, to renovate the education content, make it a leading edge.

This is why we created the Ayb Educational Foundation, began the Araratian Baccalaureate program, Kangaroo Math Contest, and many others.

I know you are an Armenian patriot. We are likewise. I welcome the suggestion you made today to meet with Ayb community and explore ways to make education in our beloved Armenia better. As the Minister of Education you have one of the toughest jobs in the country. Every single member of the Ayb community wishes from the bottom of the heart that you succeed in your mission to make Armenian education better beyond our wildest dreams. Please let us know your availability and let us get to work.

PS: Please also see my commencement speech at Ayb

David Yang

Co-founder at Ayb School
Co-founder and Advisory Board member at Ayb Educational Foundation
Advisory Board member at FAST (Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology)
Small donor of UWC Dilijan College”