Goris college teachers, students on strike against dismissal of  director 

ArmInfo. Faculty and students at Goris State College have gone on strike, blocking the entrance to the school for newly appointed acting director Armine Kolyan. This  was reported in a Facebook post by Goris State College.

The strike began following the dismissal of college director Karen  Lazaryan, who has held the position for 16 years, by order of the  Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MECS), Zhanna  Andreasyan.  As a result, three dozen college employees submitted  resignations on December 2 based on their own resignations. However,  at Lazaryan's request, they withdrew their resignations. "Despite  this, today, December 4, the college did not resume classes," the  statement noted.

As the college explained, faculty and students decided to block the  entrance to the institution until the head of the Armenian Ministry  of Education, Science and Culture provides clarification on a number  of issues.  First and foremost, they demanded the justification for  the dismissal and the reasons for the early termination of Karen  Lazaryan's employment contract.

The college's statement further noted that rumors have been  circulating in Goris for several days regarding the quality of the  newly appointed acting head's certificate. "In order to clarify this  issue, based on the provisions of the RA Law on Freedom of  Information, Andreasyan was sent three requests for the grounds for  conducting Armine Kolyan's certification exam on September 16,  specifically interview recordings, minutes, evaluation sheets, and  the Commission's decision. However, the minister continues to conceal  this information, without providing any legally established reason  for the refusal," the statement noted.

In this regard, Goris State College noted that the current leadership  of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, based on  previous events, does not issue certificates to anyone without reason  or appoint anyone as director of an educational institution.  "Therefore, the minister must be frank and explain who within the  Ministry was interested in appointing a woman with zero experience in  secondary vocational education as acting director of Goris State  College," the statement emphasized.

In conclusion, the college demanded clarification from the minister  regarding the following issues. First, the institution inquired about  the purpose of appointing Armine Kolyan as director of the  non-existent "Goris State Multifunctional State College" on October 6  and why she was dismissed from this position 60 days later.  Furthermore, Goris State College questioned Kolyan's whereabouts  during those 60 days and why the Ministry did not hold her  accountable for failure to fulfill her duties.

"It is precisely in connection with the aforementioned demands that  the staff and students of Goris State College have gone on strike.  Until the Ministry provides responses to these demands, Armine Kolyan  cannot be considered the legitimate acting director of Goris State  College. And in order for this shameful situation to be rectified as  soon as possible, the head of the Ministry of Education, Science and  Culture must stop hiding and provide her justification," the college  concluded.

In this regard, Goris State College noted that the current leadership  of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, based on  previous events, does not issue certificates to anyone without reason  or appoint anyone as director of an educational institution.  "Therefore, the minister must be frank and explain who within the  Ministry was interested in appointing a woman with zero experience in  secondary vocational education as acting director of Goris State  College," the statement emphasized.

In conclusion, the college demanded clarification from the minister  regarding the following issues. First, the institution inquired about  the purpose of appointing Armine Kolyan as director of the  non-existent "Goris State Multifunctional State College" on October 6  and why she was dismissed from this position 60 days later.  Furthermore, Goris State College questioned Kolyan's whereabouts  during those 60 days and why the Ministry did not hold her  accountable for failure to fulfill her duties.

"It is precisely in connection with the aforementioned demands that  the staff and students of Goris State College have gone on strike.  Until the Ministry provides responses to these demands, Armine Kolyan  cannot be considered the legitimate acting director of Goris State  College. And in order for this shameful situation to be rectified as  soon as possible, the head of the Ministry of Education, Science and  Culture must stop hiding and provide her justification," the college  concluded.

It was also reported that police forcibly secured Kolyan's entry into  the educational institution.

As a reminder, Karen Lazaryan, the head of the Ministry of Education,  Science, and Culture, had previously dismissed the school's director  by order of the head of the Ministry of Education, Science, and  Culture. Following this, three dozen employees of the state college  submitted resignations based on their own resignations. ArmInfo  attempted to obtain the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and  Culture's position on this matter, but the Ministry requested a  written inquiry. The Ministry had not responded to the editorial  staff's inquiry at the time of publication.

It should be added that an indefinite strike was declared at Goris  State College on October 6. The strike began over the decision to  merge the college with Goris State Agricultural College. Furthermore,  the strike was linked to the possibility that, had the two colleges  merged, the leadership of the colleges could have been led by someone  representing the interests of the ruling Civil Contract party.