‘Zhoghovourd’. Poor Governance Leaves Most Children Out of Kindergarten, Many Parents Unemployed: Heated Discussions

In Armenia, due to the coronavirus situation, the state of emergency is still in place, and even though it will be referred to as quarantine starting September 11, the regime remains the same. As the term suggests, state of emergency implies unconventional solutions. The issue of kindergartens has become a serious problem across the country. As known, kindergartens are set to reopen on September 15, but there are several rules in place, specifically, groups must consist of 10-12 children, priority will be given to children aged 5-6 of working parents, children of parents with first or second category disabilities, and children of employees of the institution, while the admission of registered children is temporarily suspended.

Recently, ‘Zhoghovourd’ newspaper has received numerous reports from parents who are unable to enroll their kindergarten-aged children, and they have children under 5 years old, asking how to proceed. ‘Zhoghovourd’ reached out to the Yerevan City Hall to understand what the municipal authorities are doing to resolve the issue, given that there are many parents with kindergarten-aged children who are at risk of losing their jobs. Tigran Virabyan, the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, who coordinates the work of schools and kindergartens in the capital, informed ‘Zhoghovourd’ yesterday that he is conducting consultations with the directors of kindergartens and schools.

“Kindergartens will open fully on September 15, but there are rules set by the commandant’s office. According to the new rules, we will have the capacity to ensure attendance for 29-30 percent of 31,000 children. If we find that the currently allowable 10,000 spots are not filled after the first phase, we will begin to include more groups in this system so that parents can bring their children. As for admissions, since we currently have individuals waiting in line, there can be no talk of registering new individuals,” noted Virabyan.

Such a splendid response, such magnificent governance, such a glorious decision. It seems the city hall is working tirelessly, Tigran Virabyan is pondering how to address the critical socialization needs of the children, yet the outcome remains as it always has. Due to poor governance, most children will remain outside kindergartens, and many parents will find themselves unemployed. But the key point is that Tigran Virabyan is conducting consultations; it matters little that the issue remains unresolved.

It should be reminded that kindergartens and schools in Armenia have been closed since June, and specifically, Virabyan and his empowered officials had three months to resolve today’s problem and find exceptional solutions,” the newspaper writes.

Read the full article in today’s edition of the newspaper.