Tatev Khachatryan, Grisha Balasanyan

There are at least ten schools in Armenia’s Armavir Province that are in need of immediate renovation, according to the regional government.

This year, the high school in Djrashen celebrates its 40th anniversary. Principal Samvel Poghosyan says the school is in bad shape and that “everything inside is old.”

Renovations only took place last year when the roof was severely damaged by strong winds. Poghosyan says he immediately contacted the provincial government and a new roof was installed.

Some damaged windows were also changed but not all. The money ran out.

Poghosyan says that because the national government can’t make up the shortfall, he has asked for residents to take up a collection.

School equipment is in pretty bad shape as well. Poghosyan says that only one of the ten computers at the school’s computer lab is working…sort of.

The only new computer is used by his secretary.

There are 91 students enrolled at the school but their numbers are decreasing yearly. Last year, four children left for Germany with their families.  Most of those moving overseas are from the local Yezidi community.

Hakob Baghdasaryan, principal of the school in the village of Lousagyugh, cannot remember when the school, built in 1964, was last renovated with state money.

“We did some partial repairs but that was with our money. The school is scheduled to be renovated as part of the regional development program,” Baghdasaryan said.

Some school room furnishings have been updated but the windows and doors are barely working.

The school’s enrollment of 118, according to the principal, has remained steady of late.

Principals are reluctant to talk

The principals of these schools needing renovation were flustered when we arrived and reluctant to talk ‘on the record’ about their problems.

The opposite was the case with principals whose schools were in relatively good shape.

Djrashen School Principal Poghosyan, hearing that we were reporters, demanded that we turn off our phones and recorders and place them on his desk. He started to sift through his files to get the phone numbers of higher ups. He wanted to call them to get permission to talk to us.

Lousagyugh School Principal Baghdasaryan was away on business. The deputy principal first demanded to see our written permission from the provincial governor. He would only talk to us afterwards. He then called principal Baghdasaryan for ten minutes wanting to verify if the ‘higher ups’ knew that reporters had arrived at the school.