Strike and Class Absence at Pushkin School Starting September 1: Staff and Parents are Determined

The teaching staff and parent community of Yerevan's Pushkin School No. 8 organized a protest in front of the city hall today, July 28. They are requesting the municipality to keep Zara Barseghyan as the acting principal of the school.

Deputy Principal Rosa Zakaryan stated in an interview with NEWS.am, "We learned from the media on Friday that the principal of School No. 122 had been dismissed from his position based on his request and that he was appointed as the acting principal of Pushkin School. This was a surprise for us, as two months ago, the deputy mayor and the head of the education department stated publicly to several individuals and the media that they had no intention or plans to replace the acting principal. The teaching staff and parents are worried, as we are on the eve of the new school year, and teachers filled with injustice are saying, 'We will write applications and will not attend school on September 1.' From what I understand, parents are also refusing to bring their children to school. We have a letter addressed to Tigran Avinyan, and we request that Zara Barseghyan's authority remain unchanged," she noted.

A parent of one of the students also confirmed, "We learn through the news or from various people that the school is going to undergo another change and that there will be some shocking process at the beginning of September. Essentially, the promise has not been kept because we were told that as long as the court process regarding the main principal is ongoing, the acting principal would be from within the school, in this case, Zara Barseghyan, who has many years of experience at the school. Now it has been said that someone from outside is coming. The school has its own unique character that should not change. We are very satisfied with the current principal, the deputy principal, and the teachers, and we will no longer tolerate any changes."

Many parents insist that they will not be bringing their children to school starting September 1.