At present, the Yazidi village of Otevan (up to 2006 was called Baisys) does not particularly differ from many other Yazidi villages of Armenia. The same social problems, the same outflow of young people from their homes.In Otevan until recently operated a school in which all the students were Yazidi, but the special success of graduates of recent years, she could not boast. In 2014, the head of the village administration Bro Fatoyan had to tell with bitterness to journalists about school getting shut down.

"There were only three or four children, so their parents had to move to neighboring communities, – he said. People flee looking for work, and we are waiting for them, but they never return."And in 2016 Bro Fataan left his native village himself.. The newspaper "Zhokhovurd"  wrote: "What Happened in the village of Otevan of Aragatsotn region, perhaps, is the best symbol of the current situation in Armenia. Bro Tatoyan, who until recently held  the position of the head of the community, submitted a letter of resignation and fled to Russia for work.»

Alas, in the near future if nothing is going to change for the better, the fate of the village of Otevan and its school will be shared by other Yazidi villages of the Republic of Armenia. People are leaving their homes, mostly moving abroad, and the problem of children receiving a full secondary education in deserted schools is becoming more acute. In addition, the financing of provincial, especially Yezidi schools "on a residual basis", affects the low professional level of teachers.But it wasn't like this before. The village of Bisys (long before it was renamed to Otevan) issued a lot of outstanding yazidi scientists  and talented people, specialised in different spheres.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with a yazidi, a native of the village of Bisys Fayzo of Agitovich of Samoana, (Fayzo Agitovich, L.: "Mathematics for us became a Family Calling..."), who was born on 28th of January 1945, in the village of Baisys , Talin region of the Armenian SSR.

"The mathematical problems were a joy to me. Gradually, mathematics became my vocation. Everyone understands this in his own way. But for me, the vocation is a favourite thing, a personal meaning of life, transformed into practical activity."

"And mathematics delights with its beauty, logic and accuracy. Mathematics is an abstract science, and its abstractness generates the universality of mathematical laws.  The same mathematical model allows us to describe completely different real processes. The simplest example is a formula that can simultaneously be interpreted as Newton's law describing the attraction of bodies, and as Coulomb's law on the interaction of electric charges. Due to its versatility, mathematics is a powerful tool for studying the world around us. No wonder it is called the "Queen of Sciences"."

And was the way long to the "Queen of Sciences"?

– I can say that I was lucky: I was educated by people of Soviet pedagogical training, when learning was perceived as a difficult, but at the same time creative process. For me, all my teachers, especially math teachers, were loved. The profession of teacher at all times remained the most honourable, but at the same time, the most difficult. The attitude toward mentors among all the peoples was always respectful.

No matter how the world changes, there will always be those who learn and those who teach. And the first will always be grateful to the second.

I have very fond memories of my school mathematics teacher Aramais Darbinyan and physics teacher Anush Bozoyan. They  determined me to work hard.

Thanks to them, I have successfully competed in the Mathematical Olympiads. For the first time I took part in the Olympiad in 1959, when I was in the 8th grade. Our mathematics teacher Aramais Darbinyan sent me and several children from the 9th and 10th grades to the regional center of Artik to participate in the work of the regional Olympiad in mathematics. I remember how happy my teacher was when he was told that I took the first place in this Olympiad. After that, I repeatedly participated in the work of regional and national competitions and won prizes.»

"Our interlocutor is a well-known Russian mathematician, doctor of physical and mathematical Sciences, Professor, academician of the Academy of natural Sciences of Russia, head of the Department of mathematical analysis of Bryansk state University, academician I. G. Petrovsky. Member of the American mathematical society, honorary worker of the Higher school of the Russian Federation, Executive editor of the scientific journal "Bulletin of the Bryansk State University named after academician I. G. Peter's" series "Natural and exact Sciences" Faizo Agitovich Shamoyan, who made a great contribution to the spectral theory of functions of a complex variable.

It is no exaggeration to say that Fayzoe Agit is a well-known scientist in scientific circles not only in the post-Soviet space, but also in many countries of the world. He has repeatedly made presentations at the leading universities of Russia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Norway, Hungary and France.

By the way, a village of Baisys is called the birthplace of mathematicians. Is the nature special there, are the teachers talented or something else?

Both. It is amazing that such a small village has so many young people with physical and mathematical higher education. In the village there was only one primary school. Teachers were wonderful, especially those of mathematics, my late uncle Majite Rashit and our late relative Murase Oskan instilled in students love for natural subjects.  From this small village came dozens of graduates of higher education, most of them – mathematicians. Among them are candidates of physical and mathematical Sciences - PASE Binbash and Diurese JAVO. Known Yezidi ethnographer, candidate of Historical Sciences Mamoe Chalet was also from our village.I would also like to note you as a graduate of three higher educational institutions – the faculty of applied mathematics of Yerevan state University, the faculty of journalism of the University of Marxism and Leninism of the Central Committee of the Communist party of Armenia and the Moscow Institute of advanced training of television and radio broadcasting. And what exactly attracted You to mathematics?

– The desire to study mathematics appeared when I was still in school. The world of mathematics fascinated me and the solvement of one or another problem.

Here these scientists were raised at the time in a simple Yezidi villages and in ordinary secondary schools, where they studied under the disciples, the Yazidis, Armenian SSR.

● Are there any alike mentors in the English schools of the Republic of Armenia, who will be remembered with warmth and love many years later by their disciples as Fayzo Shamoyan recalls his teacher Aramayis Darbynyan?  The question is rhetorical. History of the yazidi academic Fayzo Shamoyan should be the sentence of discriminatory and offensive to yazidi people claims by number of experts and journalists that supposedly "children of the Yazidis don't want to study".

Young Yazidis want and love to learn. But there must be teachers and principals who do their duty and treat their pupils with love. Then average Yazidi children grow up to be outstanding scientists, figures such figures as Fayzo Shamoyan. Well, if, of course, there is no love for children, there is no desire to teach them and give them a soul – there will always be a nationalist "justification" for their professional unfitness.

Translated by David Babaev

Yazidis.info