During the National Assembly-Government question-and-answer session, Lilit Galstyan, deputy of the Armenia faction, referred to the statement of Minister of Education and Culture Zhanna Andreasyan that the management councils of universities are not politicized.
“Today, in response to the question of the politicization of universities, Minister of Education and Culture, Zhanna Andreasyan first urged me, as before, not to talk about it or to bring at least one fact. Please, let me give you the facts: Suren Papikyan is the chairman of the YSU Management Board, Tigran Avinyan is the chairman of the Polytechnic Management Board, Vahagn Khachaturyan is the Chairman of the Economics Board, and you, Mrs. Andreasyan, are the Chairman of the Pedagogical Board. I would also like to add that there are screenings for political views in universities. Try to justify that these are not political purges or they are not talking about the politicization of universities,” said Lilit Galstyan. In response, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said:
“I have touched on that topic several times and said that when we say that there should be no party affiliation in universities, it does not mean that some parties and political groups should create secret cells there and make universities part of the political apparatus. I was listening to your speech, I want to pay attention to your wording. You said that they did not give me lessons at the university because of my political behavior. You did not say about my views or party affiliation. You answered your question. And who said that this opportunity should be abused, we gave that opportunity. We have given that opportunity to other sectors and groups, but, sorry, when that opportunity is misused and used against the goal, it does not mean that the government should just keep watching silently. Universities are all bodies founded by the government, and the government has the greatest authority in RA for these universities today and tomorrow.” Nikol Pashinyan also referred to the noise created around textbooks. “We are not saying that everything in the textbooks is perfect, we are saying that a new system has been created, which should enable us and RA to have more and more quality textbooks on the table of our students.”
Source: https://www.aravot.am/2023/11/15/1382720/?fbclid=IwAR2_agZ-0g9D9ve4rvYFj9gN58Q_z9_NF6lBSlLMumQ3CTnUkgm9aBGPJLs