Karmela Arakelyan, the newly appointed principal of School #1 in the city of Abovyan and a friend of former regional governor of Kotayk Province and current Minister of Environment Romanos Petrosyan’s sister, entered the school with the accompaniment of police a little while ago.
This morning, the students and teachers started a workers’ strike/student strike against Arakelyan’s appointment. Later, they and the students’ parents gathered in the school building to express their protest against the decision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.
Hayk Paytyan, one of the teachers, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that at midday the newly appointed principal came to the school, but the gathered didn’t let her enter. A little while ago, the police chief of Abovyan and the chief of regional police came to the school and warned the gathered that police would use force, if they didn’t let the principal enter the school.
When the gathered saw Arakelyan entering the school with police officers, they started protesting and exited the school building to show their discontent.
Artak Galstyan, one of the teachers, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that Karmela Arakelyan, without being aware of the school’s problems, presented to the principal a plan stating that the teachers don’t have command of information communication technologies.