It Is Impossible to Work Well in Such a Situation After Submitting a Resignation Request: Sambat Gogyans

Three months after submitting a resignation request to the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Higher Assessment Committee, Sambat Gogyans continues to work. During a live broadcast on his Facebook page today, he noted that it is impossible to work well in such a situation because the system is in a crisis state.

“On May 14, when I submitted my resignation request, I thanked the Prime Minister in my letter and asked him to relieve me of my duties because there are substantive disagreements with the ministry, and these disagreements are deepening over time. I was very surprised and pleased that the Prime Minister invited me for a meeting; we talked and agreed not to discuss the details, and I have kept my promise, but in the end, he said that the text of my resignation order is on his desk, but he would not sign it, would study the issue, and would meet with me once more before making a decision,” he stated.

Sambat Gogyans mentioned that he periodically tries to remind the Prime Minister about this issue through the Prime Minister's assistants and advisors. “Naturally, being a responsible individual, I have come to work every day over these 3 months and fulfilled my duties. However, it is practically impossible to work well in this situation, as the system is in a crisis state, and a resolution to this issue must be reached so that scientists can understand what the strategy for the development of science and research in Armenia is,” said the Chairman of the HAC.

It is noteworthy that Sambat Gogyans submitted his resignation request from the position of Chairman of HAC to the Prime Minister on May 14, citing that his vision for the reform of education and science does not align with the ministry's strategy, and these discrepancies have deepened over time. The second reason for Gogyans' decision to resign was as follows: “In an interview back in August 2019, I said that if R. Hayrapetyan did not write a resignation letter, then I would leave. My statement was not specifically about Ruben but rather about the phenomenon. There are obvious translations and plagiarisms in the doctoral work of the acting rector who was appointed after him, yet through relevant connections and patronage, he still holds his position. His tenure is a value-based choice between him and me,” he wrote.

On July 17, Diana Galoyan was elected rector of the Armenian State University of Economics, and on the same day, the decree of the HAC chairman invalidating her doctoral degree was issued. Today, on August 17, the Ministry of Education and Science issued a statement announcing that it has upheld Diana Galoyan's administrative appeals, invalidating the orders of the HAC chairman: “The proceedings initiated regarding the decree of the HAC chairman on 09.07.2020 to invalidate the awarding of a Doctor of Economics degree to D. Galoyan have been recognized as entirely unlawful, and the decree regarding the invalidation of D. Galoyan’s Doctor of Economics degree from 17.07.2020 has been deemed null and void,” the statement from the Ministry of Education and Science read.