BRUSOV BATTLE: FIGHT BETWEEN MINISTER AND RECTOR CONTINUES TO STIR ANGER AND QUESTIONS
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
20.04.12 | 13:00

The conflict between the rector of one of Armenia’s prominent
universities and the Minister of Education and Science of Armenia
remains to be in the center of public attention, creating new versions
of the causes of the conflict.

The indirect dispute between Minister of Education and Science Armen
Ashotyan and Valery Brusov Yerevan State Linguistic University (YSLU)
rector Suren Zolyan started early this month, resulting in Ashotyan’s
decree to dismiss Zolyan.

The rector’s dismissal aroused indignation among the students of the
university, who showed their support to their rector by protesting
against the minister’s decision.

On Thursday, Ashotyan met YSLU students, who gathered in the small
hall of the university and prepared questions addressed to the minster
regarding the reprimands issued against Zolyan and his dismissal. The
students chanting “Minister, come out!” demanded from Ashotyan to go
to the courtyard of the university, stand in front of the microphones
installed there and answer students’ questions, so that more students
manage to participate in the Q&A.

However, the minister’s Q&A with the students remained unfinished,
when news spread that one of the activist students was taken to the
Police office (the student was shortly released).

According to some speculations, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stands
behind Zolyan’s dismissal, and Sargsyan is the one who “stirs up
Ashotyan-Zolyan conflict.”

Premier Sargsyan, being the Chairman of the Board of Management
of Khachatur Abovyan State Pedagogical University, according to
speculations, wants to united Brusov with the pedagogical university.

However, by the time Ashotyan refuted this information, press has
circulated another assumption that there is a preliminary agreement
over buying the building of YSLU with a Diaspora Armenian businessman,
who wants to turn the building into a hotel.