Every Year, About 3000 Six-Year-Olds Fail to Attend First Grade, Says Deputy Minister of Education

“We were leaving out 10% of the children who should be attending the first grade each year, which translates to around 3000 children,” said Araksya Svajyan, the Deputy Minister of Education, during hearings in the National Assembly on the topic of “The Essence of Legislative Initiatives Circulating in the Field of Children's Rights Protection.”

Addressing the decision that children should study in the grade that corresponds to their age when they first enroll in school, Svajyan noted that in some cases, for instance, a child at the age of 7 had to jump directly to the second grade, bypassing the first grade. She stated, “Considering the best interests of the child and the right to education, a decision has been made for every child to attend the grade that matches their age at the time of school admission. This regulation has come based on studies and expert conclusions.”

“Despite our efforts to inform parents about the consequences, there were parents who did not take this advice seriously and did not enroll their children in school on time,” she added. Svajyan assured that this year’s data indicate that many children have not dropped out of the educational program, unlike previous years, and have attended first grade on time.