16 schools classified as structurally unstable The start of the new school year is just one month away, but pupils in 16 schools in Aragatzotn Marz will be returning to classes in substandard conditions. All the schools have been classified as structurally unstable.

The government says it has no funds to make much needed repairs. Ashot Davayan, who heads the Department of Urban Construction at the Aragatzotn Regional Administration, told Hetq that every year his department compiles a list of schools most in need of repair and that the list is then sent to the Ministry of Territorial Administration. He assured us that the government was aware of the matter. One such school in urgent need of repair is the village school in Vardenis. It has been classified as a 4 degree unstable structure. Hetq has wrote about this school several times in the past. After our coverage, the school administration was promised that the Social Investment Fund would allocate resources for needed repairs or for the construction of a completely new school building. School staff, parents and especially the pupils were overjoyed at the news. But their joy has turned to despair. The Fund hasn’t allocated any resources and the pupils will once again attend class in dangerous conditions.