Tensions Rise at Yerevan State University: No Rector and Minister's Visit Worsens Situation

Tensions are escalating day by day at Yerevan State University (YSU). The university is without a rector, and this issue has not been resolved by the acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Vahram Dumanyan, who has undertaken the task of addressing the problem.

According to information from the ‘Zhoghovurd’ daily, the minister's visit to the university on May 10 did not ease the situation but, on the contrary, exacerbated it. It should be noted that on that day, the acting Minister Dumanyan met with members of the YSU Scientific Council to discuss the new regulations for forming governance councils in higher educational institutions and issues related to amendments made to the YSU charter.

Furthermore, the Armenian government had approved a decision in writing stating that the consent of the university's representatives would not be needed for the governance of the institution.

During the meeting, tensions flared to the point that the president of the Student Council, David Apoyan, declared that Dumanyan should go and inform Nikol Pashinyan that YSU is not his “shop.” Following this incident, various groups operate within the university that are doing everything they can to prevent the current government from successfully electing a rector for YSU, causing the issue to be indefinitely postponed. Dumanyan's dream of becoming rector remains unrealized.