STUDENT COUNCIL HEADS QUESTION SOCIAL SURVEY FINDINGS OF ARF ON
CORRUPTION AT HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 19. ARMINFO. The social survey, conducted by the
Student Union after Nikol Aghbalian, a youth wing of Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaksutiun), was held on a
non-professional level and does not reflect the real level of
corruption in higher educational establishments, the heads of student
councils of three major institutes of Armenia from Yerevan Medical
University, Institute of Physical Training and Agricultural Academy
stated today.

Armen Ashotian, assistant to the rector of Yerevan Medical University
names the surveys as a “political order” or “black PR.” Concurrently,
representatives of student councils do not exclude that corruption, in
fact, exists at Armenian higher educational establishments. “To engage
in a reasonably fight against corruption, professional sociologists
should have been invited,” the student council of Institute of
Physical Training Gagik Sarkissian said. Armen Ashotian even proposed
to donate half of the funds needed to conduct a professional study. He
said his institute is ready to provide several thousand dollars to
prove that Medical University is one of the most active opponents of
corruption. Ashotian refuted the findings of the survey which said
that the medical university is the most corrupt institution among
higher educational establishments in Armenia. They challenge “the good
name of the university where some 1000 foreign students study bringing
$6 mln in revenues to the republic,” he said.

To remind, Student Union after Nikol Aghbalian unveiled the findings
of a student opinion poll in higher educational establishments of
Armenia three days ago. The survey was conducted by the youth wing of
ARF (Dashnaksutiun) in September-October 2004 among 1100 student from
11 state higher educational establishments. Corruption is considered
ineratible by 72% of Yerevan State University students, 67% –
Institute of Physical Training, 64%-Yerevan Linguistics Institute
after Brusov, 65% – Agricultural Academy. The major reason of
corruption was named as low salaries of faculty (18%), avoiding
military service (17%) and sponsorship of corruption by upper
authorities of the higher educational establishments (16%).

The survey also unveiled other interesting findings. The most corrupt
are considered examinations for post-graduate studies (22%) and
entrance exams (21%). More effective ways for fighting corruption are
considered leadership of universities (22%), effective government
policy (20% and students themselves (17%). Students of Yerevan State
University also indicated the role of mass media (25%), youth
organizations (22%) and student council which the respondents
mentioned the least, only 10%.

The authors of the study also sent letters to the rectors of 11
institutes asking to tell how many cases of corruption were detected
in the course of 2000 to 2004. Only Yerevan Institute of Physical
Training responded saying that 5 faculty members were sacked for
corruption and another department head moved to an ordinary
faculty. The rectors of all other institutes answered that no cases of
corruption have been reported in their establishments during the last
4 years. -A-