Protests Erupt at Abovyan N1 School Over Principal Appointment

On February 3, students and faculty gathered in the yard of the Khachatur Abovyan N1 High School in Abovyan to declare an indefinite strike and classroom boycott as a sign of protest. In a conversation with photojournalist G. Shamshyan, the participants of the action stated: "We had elections for our principal. One candidate is Metaksya Babayan, the other is Arakelian Karmilen from the 10th basic school. During the election, four members of the school management board, who came from outside, cast their votes for Arakelian. This means there are currently four votes for each candidate. We do not agree with this. We want our principal to continue working with us. We have been working with her for many years, she has been a principal for 5 years, possesses a public mindset, excellent motivation for school development, and always knows where she is going and how to perform her job.

“She has wonderful personal qualities, is a reliable leader, and is a good person and a good friend. Under her leadership, our school has flourished and prospered. We all appreciate her work. Everything is excellent here. Our demand is just; we want to continue our work with our former principal, Metaksya Babayan. Our work is constructive; we complement each other and form a whole together. Our demand is clear. Starting today, we have begun a boycott and will continue until we achieve our goal. The parental community and all the teachers support us. Our demand is valid. We have been treated poorly," the students expressed.

The students also stated, "After 5 years as principal and previously as a history teacher, we have seen both her professional and personal qualities through our own eyes. If she were a bad teacher, the collective would not have nominated her for the principal position, and we, as students, would not have been happy or supported her. We demand that they do not bring an outsider to impose on us. We will fight until the end to ensure that justice does not perish. When the former governor inserted his relatives into the school management board, it was already clear that he had ulterior motives. Just as he did in several schools in Abovyan, now he wants to introduce such innovations in our school as well. We have been trying to meet with the newly appointed principal since yesterday but have been unable to. It has completely become Khachatur Abovyan; she has left and has not returned."

The protest action is ongoing in the school yard.

According to some sources, the newly appointed principal is a friend of Environment Minister Romanos Petrosyan's wife.