On the eve of the year, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, issued an encyclical proclaiming 2011 the Year of the Armenian Child. In his vibrant message, after making an overview of the presence of children in the Bible and the life of Church, His Holiness briefly explained the approach of current society toward children. He especially made reference to their endangerment in the world and the work of UNICEF in this respect.
The Catholicos continued by reminding the imperative of Christian and Armenian education for Armenian children. He touched separately upon the major role of the family, the school, and the church. He emphasized the role of the school in the following way:
