In Aragatsotn Province, four school principals submitted resignation requests, but those requests will not be approved until a service investigation is completed. Prime Minister and Civil Contract party candidate for prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said this during an off-site press briefing in Ajapnyak, explaining that he personally instructed them to submit the requests, Sputnik Armenia reported.
On May 13, media outlets reported that teachers and students from villages in the region attended a Civil Contract campaign event in Aparan, while class hours had been specially shortened. One resident in Aparan even asked prime ministerial candidate Nikol Pashinyan whether it was normal for teachers to attend campaign events during class hours. Pashinyan reportedly boarded a bus and left without responding.
“The principals of the schools where there are issues have submitted resignation requests. In order to avoid acting impulsively or unfairly toward someone based on emotions, because there were various explanations and clarifications, we will now conduct a service investigation, and where it is established that unlawful instructions were given, dismissals will follow,” Pashinyan said.
He insisted that he hates the use of administrative resources and had strictly instructed that such practices be excluded. According to Pashinyan, if anyone is pressured through administrative resources either to attend ruling party rallies or prevented from attending, it will not go without consequences.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s Office had issued a statement emphasizing that during election processes, the uninterrupted, continuous and full realization of children’s right to education must remain a priority and be guaranteed. On May 13, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports also announced that the issue of schools’ participation in campaign events in Aragatsotn Province would be investigated.
