Ombudsman Proposes Amendments to School Admission Criteria for Children

The Human Rights Defender has received complaints since 2019 regarding various issues related to children's admission to educational institutions close to their residence. While some of these issues have been partially resolved, the Ombudsman's office continued to receive complaints throughout 2020. This was reported by Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan.

According to changes made in 2020, priority in student admissions was given to children who have siblings studying at the same school, as well as to children of school employees. Although the school admission procedure has been clarified, it was crucial to also consider setting priorities for the admission of children residing close to the school.

The Defender received complaints regarding the challenges of attending schools far from their place of residence in 2021 as well. Parents indicated that transporting their children to distant schools creates difficulties, especially in cases where the child has a disability or mobility issues. Children and their parents already face challenges with transportation and environmental factors.

This problem is also pertinent when there are young children and others needing care within the family. It complicates matters for parents of elementary school children who work, as they are forced to take their children to school, which causes issues at their workplace. Not taking residence as a criterion for admission to educational institutions also creates financial difficulties for parents.

Considering the relevance of the problem, the Human Rights Defender proposes to make appropriate amendments that would prioritize students residing closest to the school when admitting them to educational institutions.