Friday, August 28 2020 19:32

ArmInfo. The issue of my resignation is not being discussed. RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan stated this on August 28 in an interview with journalists.

The Minister noted that he is sympathetic to the demands of his  resignation, recalling that back in 2018, after his appointment to  this post, he pointed out the need for very painful educational  reforms. At the same time, Harutyunyan emphasized that the meaning of  the reforms being carried out is distorted, and that, for example,  there is no question of including sex education in the school  curriculum. As for the group of citizens who are holding protests  demanding his abandonment, the Minister did not fail to notice that  they either have no idea about the content of general educational  standards, or deliberately distort them. At the same time, according  to him, the persons involved in this street struggle are raising a  fuss for the reason that their activities in the educational sector  were vicious, but now their interests are being directly damaged.

To note, today in Yerevan a protest rally and a march demanding the  resignation of Harutyunyan took place. The participants of the action  angrily criticized the reforms in the field of education, calling the  minister the devil's henchman for removing the History of the  Armenian Church from the school curriculum. The protesters noted that  by his activities the minister undermines the national foundations,  and his dismissal from his post is a step to protect the future of  children. The planned reduction in the number of hours of the subject  "Armenian language" was also called "perversion of the educational  system". As in previous protests, it was pointed out that it was  inadmissible to introduce the provisions of the Lanzarote Convention  in schools.

As previously reported, in schools the hours of the "Armenian  language" subject will be reduced 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 criminal phenomenon.   Only one article - the 6th - concerns the field 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.