We Have Submitted a Written Request to the Ministry of Education, and We Will Receive a Response Tomorrow: Arman Tatoyan to Unaccepted Applicants and Their Parents

High-scoring applicants who were not accepted into universities and their parents met with the Human Rights Defender, Arman Tatoyan, today.

“We have been fighting for a few days to ensure justice. We also propose solutions; we are not only demanding that the problem be solved. Our proposal is as follows: the Ministry of Education should allocate additional spots in universities. We want all those who received positive evaluations to be accepted, but if that is not possible, at least those who scored 11 and higher. Let us set aside the first application and add places for the chosen specialties from the second to the fourth applications. This way, everyone wins: the university, the applicant, and the state,” said a parent of one of the unaccepted applicants during the meeting with Tatoyan.

The parent noted that if there was no need for such a number of university admits from the outset, the government could also address this issue by applying a stricter approach to students who perform poorly during the first-semester examinations. “The important thing here is that justice is restored, and a high-scoring applicant can become a student. They have worked for years to achieve high scores, and due to the careless actions of some official, a child is experiencing disappointment,” he said.

According to the parent, the ministry is not serious about this issue and does not want to make any changes. Arman Tatoyan, for his part, stated that he is familiar with the issue and fully understands the problem. “We have studied this, and even before you approached us, the issue was already under our attention. Yesterday, 55 citizens submitted requests, in addition to which we have 13 individual complaints raising various issues related to admissions. I have talked with the Minister of Education, and the issue is being discussed. Yesterday, I sent an official letter addressing the concerns you raised. At this stage, we have refrained from presenting a proposal, but we have submitted your suggestions and public concerns and asked for clarifications, as well as the ministry's position as the competent authority,” he noted.

Tatoyan added that he has spoken with the minister again after that and that they will have a response tomorrow, after which the Human Rights Defender will be able to assess and draw conclusions.

One of the parents also mentioned that they do not have confidence in the body from which the Human Rights Defender is awaiting a response; therefore, they will continue their actions and will not wait for tomorrow.

Tatoyan also emphasized that what he said does not imply that there will be no protests, and he only clarified the procedure regarding the Human Rights Defender.

The representative of the applicants' parents said that the relevant authority operates on a principle of arbitrariness and could manipulate any issue; the children are not at fault for being excluded, and the explanations provided were not accurate. “The children made the right decisions; the misunderstanding was on their part.” Participants in the protest then moved from the Human Rights Defender's office to the Ministry of Education, demanding a meeting with Minister Araik Harutyunyan.