WRITING ON THE WALL FOR CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN ARMENIA

Reuters Alert
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May 12 2009
UK

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Performances, drawings, humour and songs gave students in Gyumri a
chance to illustrate critical issues harming their rights during a
recent event held by student councils.

Different attitudes of teachers towards students, bribery, poor school
conditions, and lack of teaching materials were issues students raised,
as well as the problems teachers themselves face, for instance,
students’ absenteeism and low interest towards education.

It was also stressed that teachers’ salaries are among the lowest in
Armenia, sometimes driving teachers to leave teaching and search for
a job with better pay.

‘We have a newspaper at school that allows us to express all our
concerns. But it is still not enough. We want also some actions that
will bring visible changes’, said Samvel Melkonyan, 16 and head of
the Student Council at #37 school.

‘School is a place where a student may face bribing and flattering
for the first time. The school can bring up and educate a good or
demoralised person to the society’, said Karen Davtyan, 16 from
school #11.

Teachers, school principles and the head of the Shirak Marz Education
Department were also present during the event. Though it is difficult
for students to talk about critical issues in front of their school
management both teams succeeded to highlight limitations that hinder
their education. Students also shared their understanding of rights
by quoting appropriate articles from the Constitution of Armenia and
referring to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child injecting
a real sense of seriousness into the performances.

‘Each class has a council at our school. They bring all the
concerns to the Student’s Council with which we have meetings every
week. Behaviour, cleanliness, student-teacher relationships are the
main concerns’, said Hrayr Karapetyan, principle of school #11.

‘It is time for action. Otherwise the next generation will inherit
the same problems of the school’, she continued.

‘Even though our school was not a winner, I am for this kind of
initiative. It helps us to work in a team, to concentrate on existing
problems, and to consolidate all knowledge gained during the course
of Political Science’, said Jemma Gevorgyan, 15 from school #37.

‘I liked the idea that three of the five jury members are
children. Being a jury is a hard task. We study Political Science at
school and it is a good chance for children to put their knowledge
into practice’, said Karush Hoveyan, 16 from school #37.

‘Through competitions we aim to activate the Students’ Councils and
encourage them to be advocates for their rights. We want them to
contribute more to the improvement of the education process through
providing tangible support to the school management’, said Shaghik
Maroukhyan, World Vision Armenia Operations Manager (currently
overseeing Gyumri Area Development Programme).