My resignation is not a matter of discussion. This is what Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan told reporters today, adding that he understands the demands and actions of those demanding his resignation.

Asked if he sees shortcomings that may have been a reason for the demand for his resignation, Harutyunyan said the following: “When there was a discussion on the reforms in the education sector in 2018, I had the occasion to say that there will be very dire and painful reforms because it was clear to all of us that there had to be reforms in the fields of education, culture and sport. I had also said the reforms would concern a large group of beneficiaries and that there would be complaints. The protesters have their reasons for protesting. They clearly claim that preliminary military preparation won’t be a subject in the curriculum, they lie when they say sexual education will be part of the curriculum this September, they lie when they say that Anatolia is written in textbooks instead of Armenian Highland, and they lie when they say children won’t be learning about great Armenians anymore,” Harutyunyan said and called on reporters to go deep into the texts and present the reality, not disseminate misinformation.

As far as the requirement for children to wear face masks in classrooms is concerned, he said the following: “I listened to the parents’ concerns. The ministry is considering their concerns, and apparently, they didn’t make new recommendations. The procedure for wearing masks in closed spaces was established in May.”