Teachers protest dismissal of school director in Armenian village

Teachers at the Byurakan Secondary School named after Hovhannes Tumanyan in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province went on strike on Tuesday to protest the recent dismissal of their director by Aragatsotn Governor Sergey Movsisyan. The school staff demands that the governor reverse his decision and reinstate Mkrtchyan, who has led the village school for seven years and is widely respected by teachers, parents and students, Shamshyan.com reported.

Last year, the governor had also dismissed Mkrtchyan, but court rulings in the director’s favor led to the reversal of his decision. However, Mkrtchyan was removed again just three days later and replaced by another school employee.

The striking teachers stress that their protest is not personal but a demand for the governor to uphold the law and respect the community’s voice.

“If our demand is not met, the strike will continue and the entire village will join us, leading to a school-wide boycott of classes starting September 1,” the teachers warned.