Students in the rural community of Nor Armavir definitely have a problem when it comes to being provided a normal classroom experience.

The photo shows the sorry state of the school annex, built in the 1980s. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it remains unfinished; basically a shell.

The main building hasn’t been renovated for over 20 years.

School Principal Vachik Karapetyan says that the annex doesn’t even have a roof and that the foundation has been weakened due to the elements.

The public school now holds classes in a three story building that doesn’t meet minimum requirements. There aren’t even enough classrooms. The science lab and library have been cut in half to make way for classrooms.

The school’s 231 students have to use a toilet located outside.

Principal Karapetyan says that he would like to offer elementary school classes but that there’s no available space to house the 30 or so pupils that would attend if given the chance.

“The regional government said that the school would be renovated in 2012, but I’ve since been informed that the project isn’t in next year’s budget,” Karapetyan said.

The Armavir Regional Authority told Hetq that they were searching for project financing.

Even the community's kindergarten isn’t housed in its own building. The school leases space in a building that used to serve as a hospital. More than 50 children attend kindergarten classes.

Kindergarten Principal Karineh Baghdasaryan says the town also needs a nursery, but the funds don’t exist.

Parents pay 5,000 AMD monthly for kindergarten fees. The money mostly goes to feed the children. Most of the furnishings, cots, chairs, etc, are furnished by the parents.

The kindergarten had its own building but it was privatized right after independence. The current owner has refused requests to make it available, even temporarily, to the kindergarten.