Last Bell Date Announced by the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports has sent circular letters to the Yerevan city hall and regional administrations, emphasizing the importance of highlighting the cultural component in the Last Bell events. Accordingly, a "Cultural Last Bell" events competition will also be held at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year for general educational institutions.

This was reported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia.

According to the guidelines for conducting the competition, events may include:

• Elements emphasizing national and universal culture
• Performances of national and other dances
• Performances of Armenian and global songs (in regions, songs, games, etc. representative of the respective region or community)
• Literature
• Performances of works by Armenian and world writers
• Staged performances
• Students may stage a short historical or humorous presentation related to school life and national cultural heritage.
• Cultural games and ceremonies for the Last Bell

Graduates and first graders may have dialogues, exchange messages, or pass on a symbolic item of significant importance for the continuation of community traditions to each other.

The themes may also be chosen at the discretion of schools and include other fields of culture. Participation in the competition is voluntary. The school must submit an application by May 29, 2026, to the relevant email addresses according to the regions.

The application should include:

• The program of the event (scenario)
• 10 photos from the event
• A video recording of up to 10 minutes (amateur recordings may be submitted).

The jury will review and evaluate the applications submitted until June 5, 2026, based on the following criteria:

• Content of the program
• Language component
• Musical component
• Creativity and innovation of the event

Two schools will be recognized as winners in each region—one primary and one secondary or high school.

The results of the "Cultural Last Bell" competition will be summarized in June.

The circular from the Ministry of Education also states that it is necessary to exclude forced fundraising, including that organized by parents, in the framework of organizing the Last Bell events. A similar notice has also been sent to directors of public educational institutions and private schools operating under the Ministry of Education.

Furthermore, in case of forced fundraising, parents can call the hot line of the Ministry of Education at 010-599-699/600.

This year, Last Bell events for graduating classes in general education schools are planned for May 22, in the case of a 5-day work week, and May 23, in the case of a 6-day work week.