Two Schools to Shift to Remote Learning

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reports that the high school in Martuni, Gegharkunik Province, and the school in Shambi, Syunik Province, are set to transition to remote learning due to the coronavirus.

Susanna Azatyan, head of the Department of General Education and Extracurricular Programs of the Ministry of Education and Science, informed "Zhoghovurd" that, "We are waiting for an official letter to be sent to us. One class at the Shambi school will move to remote learning, while the entire Martuni high school will shift, but we have not yet received the official notice." The regulation states that if the overall infection rate in a school exceeds 10 percent, the school must transition to online education.

On the other hand, given the record numbers of coronavirus cases, parents of students are concerned whether all schools in the country could soon switch to remote education. In response to this question, Susanna Azatyan stated, "To be honest, there has been no discussion on such a matter. We are learning to live with Covid-19. Especially in conditions where no restrictions are imposed elsewhere, it's not reasonable for schools to switch to remote learning. This is not effective, as students and teachers interact freely in other places after school without restrictions."

The expert also conveyed that out of 8 schools, 2 have fully transitioned to remote education, while individual classes in other schools have done so. For example, two classes at the Aregik Secondary School in Shirak Province have shifted to remote learning, and one class at Kapan No. 1 School in Syunik has also transitioned. The 170th High School in Yerevan had moved to remote learning for 2 weeks but is now conducting regular in-person classes.