Photos: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Visits Gegharkunik Province

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Gegharkunik Province on March 9. This was reported by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Government of Armenia.

Accompanied by the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan, and the Governor of Gegharkunik Province Gnel Sanosyan, the Prime Minister visited Secondary School No. 2 in the provincial center of Gavar and got acquainted with the reconstruction works carried out.

The old building of the school was constructed in 1967. Studies conducted in 2016 revealed that the structure was severely dilapidated and dangerous for carrying out educational activities. There had also been instances of stones falling from the building, and the interior walls were cracked. As a result, a decision was made to completely reconstruct the school, with construction works completed at the end of 2020.

Up to 580 tons of steel reinforcement were used in the construction, and the school was built in accordance with modern seismic safety requirements, designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 9 magnitudes.

The new building of the school was constructed through the "Improvement of Seismic Safety of Schools" program implemented by the Territorial Development Fund of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. The investment from the Government of Armenia and the Asian Development Bank amounted to 1.38 billion dram.

During the construction, the school did not experience a loss in the number of students due to its main address being inactive. Currently, the number of students at the Papin Ghandilyan School is 422, and this number may increase after the new building is put into operation, as it is designed for 576 students.

The new building is adapted for individuals with disabilities, features an elevator, furnished classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, a gym, and laboratories.