Minister Addresses Students Afraid of Exams

“I am returning from the Ararat region, where I visited several schools on surprise inspections,” Minister of Education Arayik Harutyunyan reported on his Facebook page.

The minister managed to visit five schools and noted, for example, that the number of absences was not high. The temperature, according to him, was at an acceptable level, although there were hallways and one cafeteria that were cold. Directors have been instructed to ensure adequate temperatures so that children do not catch colds while moving from classroom to classroom or to the cafeteria.

Specifically, it has been reported that 9th grade students are being frightened by teachers and parents about the final centralized exam.

“This is unacceptable. Dear 9th graders, know that this is an ordinary exam. The more they scare you, the more it will affect your results, because by going to the exam feeling constrained, you will face difficulties. So, hold your heads high, have courage, study hard, go to the exams, and verify that there is nothing to be afraid of, and everything will be fine,” he said.

Arayik Harutyunyan also noted that, as the Minister of Health has recorded, the number of absences in the regions is low (unlike in Yerevan). However, there is a general opinion that these absences are more due to the panic spread on the internet related to acute respiratory infections. In the schools he visited in the Ararat region, the Minister saw that nurses were on duty at all entrances to ensure that sick children do not remain in the classrooms.