ArmInfo.On August 24, in the afternoon, in front of the building of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, a protest rally was held. Protesters demanded resignation of Minister Arayik Harutyunyan.
The protesters noted their dissatisfaction with the reforms in the field of education, in particular, the planned reduction in the number of hours of the "Armenian language" subject, and the withdrawal from the school curriculum of "History of the Armenian Church". In addition to this, the Lanzarote Convention was criticized, the ratification law of which was approved by the parliament and signed by the President in May this year. The protesters assured that the protests will continue in the coming days in the capital, and on August 28, in front of the Ministry building, they will hold a larger protest. At the same time, they promised that if the minister did not fulfill their requirements, he would end up in the urn, which they specially brought with them to the protest action. "Armen Ashotyan, being the Minister of Education, destroyed the education system, and today they want to completely destroy it," the protesters said.
To note, during the protest action, several citizens were detained.
As it was reported earlier, the "Armenian language" subject will be reduced in schools by redistributing them at the expense of other subjects. As for the "History of the Armenian Church", its separate sections will be included in the curriculum of the high school. According to the Minister of Education, 49 of the 50 articles of the Lanzarote Convention are aimed at combating pedophilia and protecting children from this. Only one article – the 6th – concerns the sector of education, and it is its meaning that many, intentionally or unknowingly, distort. Harutyunyan noted that all statements about the new methodology and supposedly developed textbooks on sexuality education for Armenian schools are false. According to the article, each party to the Convention must take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that children, during primary and secondary education, are informed about the risks of sexual exploitation, abuse and the necessary means of self-defense. The above information, according to the Convention, must be provided in accordance with the age of the children.