PRESS RELEASE
The Armenia Fund
Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
10 April, 2008
A Number of the Armenia Fund’s School Furnishing Projects Accomplished
Yerevan, April 10, 2008 – The Armenia Fund accomplished several furnishing
projects during the month of March including the Parakar Art school, school
N10 in Abovian, Kotaik region, schools N 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Artik, Shirak
region, secondary school in Kndzoresk, Siunik region and School N78 in
Yerevan. All these projects have been initiated and financed through
contributions from the Armenia Fund’s French Affiliate.
The Art School after Hovik Edgaryan located in the village of Parakar with a
population of 7000 was renovated in 2007 with funds from the Armenia Fund
French Affiliate. The furnishing project at a total cost of 13,758,549 AMD
includes items such as chairs, tables, sofas, hangers, mirrors, drawers,
desks, two looms, an oven and a shaping machine for producing ceramic items
and a computer. The project is named in memory of the late Loussintac and
Sahak Tchopourian.
Around 200 students from Parakar and nearby villages of Tairov, Merdzavan,
Ajgek, Baghramyan, Norakert, Ptghunk, Arevashat, Musaler attend different
classes at the school. Piano, brass band, dancing, painting, tapestry,
pottery and carpet-making classes have classrooms of their own. With
facilities for ceramics and carpet-making classes available now, the school
administration has started registering pupils who want to enroll on it.
The instructor of the painting class Liparit Shahinyan said they now have 26
children attending the class instead of the 12 they had earlier this year,
as they now have 12 easels instead of 6 and more tables and chairs in the
classroom. "There was always much interest in painting and pottery classes,
but we did not have enough facilities for all those who wanted to join us.
We are grateful to the Armenia Fund and our donors for their timely
assistance and the stimulus the new environment provides. It is not only
pupils who enjoy the new painting tools, it is us, the teachers, who are
inspired to do better," said the instructor. Anahit and Anush have been
attending the painting classes for 2.5 years now. They said they always
enjoyed them but with the new furnished room and tables of their own they
enjoy the classes better. Anahit, 13, is quite certain about her future
profession and is seriously planning to become a fashion designer.
Two years ago a class for brass band opened at school. Today it has 10
students and a nice display of a dozen instruments – trumpet, clarinet,
trombone, baritone, and viola -on the wall in the classroom. The instruments
lay idle in the Parakar secondary school where they belonged in and were
passed over to the art school so that the brass band class could use it.
With the support of the local municipality they were repaired and now make
an impressive collection of Soviet era brass instruments.
Principal of the school Almast Svajyan was greatly excited when showing
around the school that was no longer just a nicely renovated and an orderly
place which could do with new and more pieces of furniture earlier this
year.
Appropriate maintenance is felt in every corner of the building. Although
the school was renovated only seven months ago, it is not without the
efforts of Ms. Svajyan and her team that the building is kept in good
repair; a lot is currently being considered and done to add to it. The
curtains obtained by the school management for the concert hall are a
perfect match with the chairs. "We are all so pleased with the new
interior; it’s an incredible change. We really appreciate the efficiency
with which acquisition of the furniture was organized. And we know that not
every school in Armenia enjoys the conditions we do today. Many thanks to
the Armenia Fund and our friends in France for the school we have," said Ms
Svajyan.
Fittings such as pictures, small rugs and other decorations are part of the
principal’s plans. According to her due to the Armenia Fund renovation and
furnishing projects the school has now four job openings – one for an
administrative assistant and three for support staff. On April 6 the school
hosted the festival of sport dances in which groups from Yerevan, Gyumri,
Vanadzor, Sisian and Echmiadsin participated.
Within the Armenia Fund upcoming project banisters will be built along the
stairs and a fence put up around the building so as to provide safety for
school children and prevent the flowers and grass from being trampled.
Similarly eight classrooms for a donation of 3,688,300 AMD drams were
furnished in N10 School in Abovian city. The school received tables, chairs,
blackboards and hangers. The classrooms were sponsored through the
French-Armenian Association for Friendship, Normandy Association for
Armenian Solidarity and in memory of late Mihran, Nvart Hatsagortsian.and
their son Jirair.
The municipality of Vaulx en Velin in France with a total cost of 5,510,000
AMD drams funded five classrooms in schools number 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in
Artik, Shirak region. It is planned that the municipality will go ahead with
the full furnishing of these schools.
School 78 located in the center of Yerevan received new furniture with a
total cost of 4,283,200 AMD drams. It includes desks, chairs, tables,
bookshelves, blackboards, as well as hangers.
The secondary school in Kndzoresk, another beneficiary of the Armenia Fund
project, received sport facilities with donation from Michel Tchaloyan. The
project was implemented in memory of Melik and Jirair Melik Mardirossian.
The Armenia Fund Executive Director Vahe Aghabegians welcomed the successful
accomplishment of the projects. "By giving our young generation modern
schools with appropriately furnished classrooms we make yet another step
towards a better life for them. We want them to choose to stay and study in
their home communities and truly enjoy their learning. The Armenia Fund is
doing its best to support the government in its attempts to provide schools
to the standard and thus solve the most basic problem existent in the
country’s educational system today," says Mr. Aghabegians.
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The Armenia Fund