Teachers in Armenia to Go on Strike in a Week: Reasons

If the government does not respond and address our issues, we will appeal to the Confederation of Trade Unions on Monday, February 25. This was stated today by Lusine Gasparyan, a teacher at N 54 high school, during a conversation with reporters, adding that they would wait a week after that, and if the government does not respond, they will be forced to go on strike.

During the press conference, present teachers, alongside Arpine Davtyan, president of the 'Charisma' youth NGO, highlighted the primary issues that have become priorities for teachers.

Susanna Vardanyan, a teacher at N 196 primary school, also spoke about salaries, stating: “Salaries are not being increased, citing a lack of funds. It seems that the budget has no money specifically for teachers. When asked how it is that the salaries of state employees are increasing while teachers' salaries are not, the response was simply shocking: state employees number 500-600, whereas you, teachers, are in the thousands.”

Teachers also desire that classroom sizes match the number of students, that teachers undergo certification, and that mechanisms be developed for maintaining school cleanliness.