Pupils in around half the villages in the Toumanyan region of Armenia’s Lori Province have to trudge from 3 to 10 kilometers every day to get to the nearest high school.

They have to make the same trek to get home.

Not only do these villages lack senior and high schools, but inter-city transportation is also lacking for the most part.

Oleg Doulgaryan, president of the “Community Unification and Assistance Center” NGO told Hetq that his organization conducted research into the public transportation issue faced by pupils in thirteen communities with elementary schools in the Toumanyan region and those attending six high schools neighboring these communities.

Doulgaryan said that a program to provide transportation to pupils and teachers in seven of Armenia’s provinces isn’t being equitably implemented and that a mere 0.5% of the program’s funds are allocated to Lori.

As a result, pupils either have to walk to school or parents have to pay for private transportation.

Doulgaryan said that his organization would be presenting the study findings with residents in the affected communities and would then draft a proposals package to be handed to the relevant government agencies.