Your trusted source

I do not know whether it is a matter of economy, disinclination or Frankenstein's ‘spirit’ has actually gripped Armenia.

The Armenian’s Government’s plan to create an “Armenian village’ in Yerevan for $100-150 million, aimed at presenting the tourists the color, culture and daily routine … of the Armenian villages is simply ‘killing’. We lack the capacity to show a living village so much that we are opening a village museum in the capital with huge spendings.

Regarding the capital, an “Old Yerevan” museum needs to be built to its memory, again with vast sums.

Instead of evaluating, preserving and loving the real life (do not say it as a tautology), we turn it into a corpse, with a noble intention to open a museum in parallel to it.

How is this different from Frankenstein mentality?

You would rather enliven the village: the inhabitants of villages will definitely have a lot to show. Or are you afraid the culture is completely gone? And the fear is not baseless, since when preparing series of articles on our village schools we wondered whether those people are optimistic and strong or have simply put up with the situation.

… You see, there are no trifles in economy, stewardship…even in the household: you do not open the tap, water will not flow or you hold the tap open, the water will flow so long as Veolia cuts it off, asking your forgiveness or even not bothering to do so…

The Parliament has recently released the list of those parliamentarians, who are paid for renting a house in Yerevan. Both the list and the phenomenon received tough criticism by media and social networks. On one hand, if there are MPs from regions, they need to rent apartments during the Parliament sessions if they do not want to come and go every day. On the other hand, the National Assembly definitely has no idea to dissolve, thus there will always be MPs from regions. Why does the parliament have permanent apartments adjunct to it to provide housing to those MPs and then take back when their mandate expires? Moreover, an apartment must be given on a condition the official must reside in it.

It would settle the housing issue and will eliminate all the talks whether this or that MP need a renting payment or not.

By the way, there was a half-constructed building rising on Baghramyan Street for years, standing, perhaps, as a symbol of an unfinished work.

… I am sure you remember Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science decided to attach Russian copies to graduation certificates, receiving stormy responses across the country. In response, the minister argued: “We know that a considerable part of students leave for Russia to work there after graduating. This measure is aimed at freeing people from additional costs. Imagine you pay for each certificate to get the Russian copy. It has always been so.”

We submitted an inquiry to the ministry, asking if it would be more appropriate not to hand the insert, waiting for the graduates to choose the country they want to leave for. Not every graduate need a foreign language insert, thus we proposed to give the insert those students who apply for it, again in the required language and free of charge, which would also stop the grounded claims that the Armenian Ministry of Science and Education propagates the Russian language in Armenia and encourages students to study in Russia.

The reply was once again disappointing. Regarding the excess costs, the ministry said that the certificates are obtained ‘once a year, in the manner prescribed by the RA law on “Procurements’”. The Russian copies were justified with ‘the existence of state general educational institutions operating in Russian’, which was not mentioned by the minister. There came another completely irrelevant reply, saying the higher educational certificate is filled out exclusively in Armenian, adding no supplementary fees are demanded to attach a Russian language sheet to the secondary education certificate.”

How does it matter? Should the Ministry of Education and Science necessarily be the one to give inappropriate responses to the questions? The previous law was adopted in 2010. A new minister has been appointed from a different party. What is the problem to look back with a critical approach, taking rational measures?

Another issue refers to the regular optimization: schools are closed, teachers are left jobless. Is the main reason the lack of financial resources? If this is the case, why are we switching to the 12-year education system? What is the optimization based on? Tell me it is required by Bologna Declaration and I will say you have failed to study it. To meet the requirements of European universities does not imply to study 12 years in a class of 30 school students in a neglected regional school.

This is the reason behind the poor conditions of the village schools. There are only one-two schools, that are shown off every time.

A school museum.

That is why instead of dealing with small, important, everyday affairs, the country pursues a policy of bringing the corpse back to life.