HY RU EN
Asset 3

Loading

End of content No more pages to load

Your search did not match any articles

Kristine Aghalaryan

Georgian Authorities Warn Teachers Not to Leave for Armenia

On June 12, after midnight, the Georgian National Security Service telephoned 90 Armenian teachers and principals who were planning to leave for Armenia in three days for a teacher training course on Armenian Church history. They were told to report to the police at 10:00 am the following day. The educators, mainly from the Armenian populated region of Javakhk, were to participate in a training program jointly organized by the Armenian Church diocese in Georgia and the RoA Ministry of Education and Science. Father Tatev, the pastor in Akhaltskha, told "Hetq" that the teachers were taken unawares by the midnight phone calls. "First we wondered why the National Security Service called and not the Georgian Educational Resource Center. Many of the teachers were frightened. They should have informed us if there was a problem and not resorted to terror tactics." When the educators showed up at the police department the following morning they were asked where they were going, why, and who had organized the program. They were instructed that they couldn't leave because proper permission hadn't been granted. The Georgian authorities warned them that they might face prosecution and be fired from their jobs if they attempt such a prohibited act again. Father Tavev reported, "We had to select teachers from all the Armenian schools. With the help of the schools' principals we selected seventeen. Nothing illegal or secretive was done. I even went to the Educational Resource Center and informed them of the situation." "Hetq" has since learnt that similar incidents occurred in Akhalkalak and Ninotzminda. The Georgian Armenian Diocese informed "Hetq" that everything the program had been arranged through the auspices of the RoA Education Ministry and that nothing illegal had been done. The diocese said that the entire affair was a mere misunderstanding and that they expected for the matter to be resolved amicably come Monday.

Write a comment

If you found a typo you can notify us by selecting the text area and pressing CTRL+Enter