Expert decries planned closure of 229 schools in Armenian communities

Armenia’s government plans to close 229 schools in small and rural communities starting from September 2026, prompting criticism from education advocates who warn the move could accelerate depopulation in border regions.

Atom Mkhitaryan, a member of the National Education Council, said the closures would disproportionately affect remote and border villages where schools serve as the backbone of community life.

“In many highland and border settlements, the school is community-forming,” Mkhitaryan told Panorama.am during a forum on Friday. “If you remove the school from a community, the community collapses and empties.”

The government has pledged to build or renovate 300 schools and 500 kindergartens by 2026. However, Mkhitaryan said that as of Dec. 15, 2025, only about 20% of the school component had been completed, amounting to 60 schools.

He said the number of planned closures is four to five times higher than the number of schools completed under the program, adding that many of the targeted schools are located in border villages.

Closing rural schools could prompt families to relocate to larger towns, regional centers or the capital Yerevan in search of education for their children, he said, warning that some may emigrate abroad.

Mkhitaryan questioned the rationale behind the policy, suggesting that budgetary savings appear to be driving the decision. “We are saving small amounts, but we risk losing much more – our children’s future, and therefore the country’s future,” the expert said.

He also criticized the lack of consultations with local residents and municipal authorities, saying the decisions were being made at the highest levels of government.