School to be dissolved and moved to another village: HAK issues statement

The closure of a rural school will not only deal a severe blow to the education system, but it will also serve as a direct catalyst for a new wave of emigration, which will lead to the complete destruction and emptying of Gusanagyu village in Shirak province. This was stated by Aram Manukyan, the Vice President of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), during an election campaign in Shirak province.

He noted that there are currently 92 students attending the school and around 30 staff members working there; however, according to the decision of the authorities, this beautiful and well-maintained institution will be dissolved starting September 1. Manukyan indicated that plans are in place to transfer the children to another village, which is not much larger than this one, forcing the students to travel back and forth 6 kilometers every day.

The HAK Vice President emphasized that Gusanagyu is a large village with over 1,000 residents, located at an elevation of 1,500 meters above sea level and only a few kilometers away from the state border. Aram Manukyan expressed deep concern that the closure of an educational institution in such a strategically important area would result in irreversible out-migration of the population. He stressed that without a school, life in the border community would come to a standstill, and the village itself would be doomed to gradual disappearance.

Manukyan declared that their political force will do everything possible to thwart the destructive plans of the authorities. He highlighted that one of the main objectives of their team is to protect regional infrastructure and save Armenian villages from degradation.
“We will put in all efforts to stop the destructive course of the current authorities, cease school closures, and prevent the final depopulation of our villages,” concluded Aram Manukyan.