Tense Situation in Shirak Region: Residents of 3 Villages Decide Not to Send Their Children to School

Vahan Minasyan, a resident of Salout village in the Sarapat community of Shirak province, alerted Shamshyan.com that as of today, the minibus service transporting schoolchildren from their village to a neighboring community has been discontinued. As a result, parents from three villages are preparing not to send their children to school, given that the round trip distance is approximately 12 kilometers.

In an interview with a correspondent from the site, V. Minasyan stated, “For years, the regional administration provided us with a Gazelle van to transport our children 6 kilometers to school and then back to the villages. All expenses were covered by the regional administration. Now they are not transferring the funds for the Gazelle, and the children are forced to walk 6 kilometers one way to reach school and then return. The school is located in Musayelyan village, which is where students from Salout, Vardaghbyur, and Hartashen villages go.”

“Starting today, the transportation has been removed, and they have placed the burden on the parents, telling them to gather money to pay for the Gazelle to take the children. But we live on the mountain, and during this coronavirus period, children need to walk 6 kilometers every day to reach school. The youngest child is in 4th grade and has been given a heavy bag with books that they have to carry for 6 kilometers. It’s an unreasonable situation that can result in health issues for the children, including back problems,” he added.

According to V. Minasyan, the school informed them that the regional administration is not addressing the issue. He noted that the transportation problem for students in the affected communities had previously been resolved by the former Shirak governor, now Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyans, but now it seems that the solution has been overturned with a stroke of a pen.