We Cannot Provide Higher Education in 'Substandard' Conditions, Minister Supports Academic City Concept

We want to leave our children with universities, and good universities. This is our ultimate desire. This statement was made today, on March 31, during a meeting with reporters by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Vahram Dumanyan, in response to a question about what we will leave for future generations, especially after the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the sale of Yerevan's universities and the construction of an academic city with the proceeds.

“We have had science and education. We do everything to ensure that you speak of all this in the present continuous tense. We do not talk about the past; you are the ones speaking about the past. We have what we have, and we need to preserve what exists and develop it, bringing it to a different qualitative level. I assure you that there is no danger to the higher education institutions; do not worry. There is no such decision; there is an idea. Set aside the building; the issue is not the building, but the new building, the new city, new communications, new campuses. The issue is the alignment of form and content; the form is external, and the content is the university, higher education. We cannot provide higher education in 'substandard' conditions,” said the minister.

According to Vahram Dumanyan, the current conditions in universities are insufficient, from sanitary and hygienic conditions to technical equipment, and so on. The Minister of Education and Science supports the idea of having an academic city and desires for it to become a reality.

“At this moment, there is no specific location where it will be built; there is only a desire and an idea. I can say that there is a strong will to do this, emphasizing the importance of the sector,” the minister noted.

Vahram Dumanyan expressed the opinion that the discussion is about building an academic city first and then selling the university buildings. He urged everyone to remain calm, assuring that no university building will be sold. “There is nothing like that; God forbid, if it happens, I will be more anxious than you are now,” the minister added.

It is noteworthy that just days ago, during a meeting with residents of the Aragats community in the Armavir region, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that there is an idea to sell most of the buildings of Yerevan's universities and use the proceeds to construct a city outside Yerevan, which will be an academic city.