Vardenis Students Go On Strike, Demand New School

VARDENIS, Armenia (A.W.)—A group of elementary school students have gone on strike in the Armenian village of Vardenis, vowing not to return to class until the completion of their new school. Armenia’s Hetq investigative news service reported that the students have been striking since Sept. 27, because they are fed-up going to school in a “dilapidated building that could crumble down on them at any minute.”

The dilapidated school building (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)
The dilapidated school building (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)

Below is a video of the protest (Source: Hetq).

The new school has been in construction since 2012 and has not yet reached completion. According to Hetq, the nearly-one-million dollar (USD) project was awarded to a company owned by Member of Parliament Aragats Akhoyan of the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP).

Students on strike outside the school (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)
Students on strike outside the school (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)

Regional government authorities have now promised that construction will be completed by Oct. 10.

Vardenis village is located in Armenia’s Aragatsotn province and has a total population of just over 600.

A view from inside the building (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)
A view from inside the building (Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq)

 

6 Comments

  1. Disgraceful!!!! Shame on the Armenian oligarchs who are drowning in their corrupt greed while the future of Armenia wallows in such poverty.

  2. This is disgusting. What message is being sent to these children about their worth and the value of education? The fact that this is being done by a Member of Parliament says a lot about government. The aye schools are excellent but those kids are not the only kids in the nation. A decent education is the right of every child. How many other schools like this exist throughout the nation?

  3. Schools, infrastructure, and productive activity comes first. Office buildings for officials comes last. There should be no other choice.

  4. shame on you the for the Government of Armenia, Time to fire them all !!! put this corrupt people in the same situation of this poor kids ,and lets see how they like it ?

  5. At the same time last week a Rolls Royce Showroom opened in Yerevan and was on the TV. I never saw anything about the school as I was in Yerevan at the time. Pity as Armenia is such a cultural hub and they cry out for knowledge.

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