Threats and Violence Reported from Yerevan School

On April 29, a resident of Yerevan, Karine Breyan, contacted Shamshyan.com to raise her voice against insults directed at her sister's child at School No. 140 in Yerevan, as well as ongoing fears the child faces.

In an interview with the website's correspondent, the woman stated: "The child came home from school feeling pressured and upset, saying that other children were bothering them. I warned the homeroom teacher, Sofia Yeghyan, and asked her to change the child's seat. The teacher did nothing. A few days later, one of the classmates bit their own hand and went to report that my child, Milena, bit them, when in fact it was the classmate who had bitten their own hand. Instead of clarifying what actually happened, the teacher told my child that she would 'pluck out both eyes with one finger' and would 'have the entire family put in jail,' among other threats. My child is learning in an atmosphere of fear, and the teacher has repeatedly hit the children."

Breyan also noted that the teacher's treatment of the child is likely due to her refusal to participate in the school's unclear and unfounded fundraising activities.

Karine Breyan requested the attention and follow-up from law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia. Auroranews contacted the Ministry, where officials stated they would investigate the situation and hear both sides.

"In such cases, parents should report to the ministry's hotline at 599600. We will monitor and investigate, but this will be a decision of the Department of General Education," officials said.

Auroranews also reached out to the school principal, who stated, "Parents were here a short while ago, and we spoke with both the parents and the teacher. There was a misunderstanding that has been resolved. At this point, we have no issues at the school. In reality, the parents and the teacher did not understand each other."