Under What Conditions Will Children Be Expelled from Kindergarten? Details from the Ministry

Following discussions with the Ministry of Health, a decision has been made to amend the regulations established by the Order N 76-N dated October 11, 2021, regarding the "Admission of Students to Preschool Institutions." According to information provided to Armenpress by the Public Relations and Information Department of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Arsen Baghdasaryan, the head of the Department of General Education, has communicated this change.

The proposed amendment concerns the provision of the regulation that states, regardless of the reason, if a student is absent for 75 working days during the academic year, they will be expelled from kindergarten. The amendment proposes that days of absence for which a medical certificate from a healthcare institution is provided will not be included in the calculation of the student's absences. In other words, with the new amendment, periods of absence based on a healthcare institution's certificate will also count towards the 75 working days, but a maximum period for such absences will be established.

According to Arsen Baghdasaryan, there are not enough places in preschool institutions to accommodate all children. Many children are currently on the waiting list for kindergarten admission; around 10,000 children are queued in Yerevan alone. He stated, "There is a situation where children included in preschool services do not actually attend kindergarten while other children on the waiting list are unable to enroll. In this instance, a universal regulation was provided for those absent due to illness or other reasons. We are now adopting a different approach considering the reason for absence."

Baghdasaryan also specified that under the government program, the enrollment of preschool-aged children should reach 85% by 2026. To achieve this goal, 500 preschool institutions are planned to be either reconstructed or newly built by 2026. Currently, renovation and construction work are ongoing in 92 kindergartens, some of which will be completed soon.