Around 3,000 six-year-olds missed first grade in Armenia annually, says deputy minister

Every year, about 10% of six-year-olds, nearly 3,000 children, did not attend first grade in Armenia, according to Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Araksya Svajyan. Speaking at parliamentary hearings on child rights legislation on Monday, she explained that some parents delayed school entry until age seven, with children often placed directly into second grade.

MP Hayk Harutyunyan questioned the ministry’s policy requiring children to enroll in the grade corresponding to their age at first admission, noting that parents who kept children out of school at age six face a 30,000-dram fine. He also criticized the ministry for not providing statistics on fined parents.

Svajyan stated that guardianship and trusteeship bodies, not the ministry, oversee enforcement of children’s right to education. She stressed that the new policy placing children in grades by age was based on studies and expert recommendations to ensure their best interests.

“Despite repeated warnings about penalties, some parents did not take them seriously,” she said. However, she added that this year’s data show far fewer children have been left out of the system, with most starting school on time.

The deputy minister also announced that children with intellectual disabilities are now allowed to begin first grade at age seven and such students have already enrolled under this provision.