Why Yerevan Kindergartens Cannot Accommodate Displaced Children from Artsakh: Clarification

80-90% of parents forcibly displaced from Artsakh and temporarily residing in Yerevan are unable to enroll their 2-year-old children in the younger groups of kindergartens. Mariam Abrahamyan, the founder and director of the NGO "Center for Supporting Mothers from Artsakh," stated this during the discussion titled "How Accessible are Armenian Kindergartens for Artsakh Children."

She noted that she personally tried to place her children in a kindergarten in Yerevan because she needs to find work. She applied to all state kindergartens in the Arabkir administrative district that have younger groups. Everywhere, she received the same answer: there are no available spots; you must register and wait your turn since the licensed spots are limited.

"I contacted the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, and they said the issue falls outside their jurisdiction; I should apply to the city hall. Yerevan city hall also stated that this is the procedure; you must register and wait your turn. Later, we realized that this issue is pervasive. There are no available spots in the younger groups of kindergartens in Yerevan. And after registering, the wait could last for years," she said.

Mariam made a post on social media that gained considerable traction. Private kindergartens responded, stating they can accommodate the children free of charge. The municipality also contacted the woman to resolve the issue, offering temporary placement of the children in a private kindergarten, and once the children's age qualifies them for transfer to the average kindergarten group, they would be accepted into a public kindergarten as a priority.

However, Mariam understands that solving only her children's issue will not resolve the overarching problem, so she decided to speak out about the issue.

Elena Harutyunyan, the deputy head of the public education department of the Yerevan city hall, present at the discussion, stated that there are 162 kindergartens operating in Yerevan, where approximately 26,500 children attend, and before the forced displacement of the population from Artsakh, 8,300 children were waiting to be admitted to kindergartens.

"There is indeed a problem with this age group in Yerevan. Out of 162 kindergartens, only 70 have younger first groups available. In contrast to higher age groups, where 30 children can attend, a younger first group can only have 20 children attending. That is why we are unable to assist in placing 2-year-old children in kindergartens," she said.

Regarding admissions for other age groups, Harutyunyan mentioned that about 500 children from Artsakh are already attending kindergartens in Yerevan. According to her, there are instances when kindergartens in the specific administrative districts where parents reside do not have available spots. In those cases, parents are directed to a nearby administrative district's kindergarten where there are open spots.

Harutyunyan emphasized that the licensed spots are not created arbitrarily; it's not mere bureaucracy or statistics but a clear educational environment that needs to be ensured for the children.

Nelly Khachatryan, president of the Private Kindergartens Association, also noted that private kindergartens have currently accepted 85 children forcibly displaced from Artsakh, of which 90% are attending free of charge, while 10% receive significant discounts.