ARMENIAN CHILDREN PREPARE FOR LIFE WITHOUT THE MELKONIAN
By Jean Christou

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
Sept 6 2005

AS SCHOOLS around the island prepare for the new school year, the doors
of the Melkonian Educational Institute were firmly closed yesterday
as Armenian parents gave up an 18-month battle to save the secondary
school from being shut down.

It appears the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), which
administers some 22 Armenian schools worldwide, has won, at least
temporarily, its campaign to shut down the school, founded by the
Melkonian brothers nearly 80 years ago.

The case has now moved to the US courts where the school~Rs future
will ultimately be decided, but this could take a number of years,
by which time the island~Rs Armenian children will have integrated
mainstream schools.

Armenian parents yesterday began registering their children in private
secondary schools. According to Shavasb Bohdjalian, the chairman of
the Melkonian Alumni, most of the Armenian pupils will be going to
the American academy in Nicosia, ~Sbut there are a sizeable amount
at other schools,~T he said.

Bohdjalian said there were no protests planned. ~SThe whole thing
is in the courts now and they are delaying the dates and the judges
are giving new dates,~T he said. ~SWe keep going and coming back. We
just want the children to continue to get whatever education they
can and we are continuing the fight in the courts. Unless we manage
to pull the Melkonian out from under the control of the AGBU, there
is nothing we can do about it.~T

He said the school was just sitting idle at the moment, and that the
AGBU had moved their administration to a side building.

As a, parent Bohdjalian said having to register his child at a
new non-Armenian school had been difficult. ~SToday my wife went
to register my daughter at the American Academy. It was a terrible
feeling and there were so many others from the Melkonian there. It
was terrible after so many years at the Melkonian to have to move
somewhere else,~T he said. ~SThe kids are all unhappy but kids adjust
quickly in life and many of them are still together. They are sad
about it but kids are kids and they will adjust.~T

Bohdjalian said it was the same for the Melkonian teachers. He said
either they were still unemployed or were going to work at other
schools. Sixty of the Institute~Rs 200 or so pupils were from Cyprus
but the Melkonian also catered for Armenian students from Greece,
Lebanon, Syria, the US, Canada, Bulgaria, Romania and Albania,
among others. Around 60-65 per cent of Armenian students in Nicosia
attended the Melkonian, while another 25 per cent attend the English
School and a smaller percentage other private schools.

~SIt~Rs not the end of the world. The fight continues. Our main
objective was to make it to the opening of the school but the
fact that chance has gone now moves the fight to the courtroom,~T
Bohdjalian added.

Earlier this year, Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan, Patriarch of all
Armenians in Turkey, filed suit in Los Angeles against the AGBU in
an attempt to prevent the closure of the MEI.

The action is being co-ordinated and mediated by the California group
on behalf of the Patriarchate, a beneficiary of Garabed Melkonian’s
Deed of assignment. Garabed Melkonian was one of the two sibling
founders of the school, 78 years ago.

The 3,000-strong Armenian community, the school~Rs alumni and other
friends of the Melkonain believe the true motive of the closure is
financial, given that the school is sitting on some £40 million worth
of commercial real estate in the capital.

–Boundary_(ID_Qh4mpMzMKp+g5A8SRV3dtw)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress