Opposition leader names newly built schools in Vayots Dzor to be handed over to Azerbaijanis

ArmInfo. In the border villages of Yeghegis and Gomk in the Vayots Dzor region, two schools were built, each designed for fewer than 100 students, and the authorities plan to close them. Opposition leader and public figure Edgar Ghazaryan announced this in a video message on his Facebook page, noting that a total of 16 such schools in the region are slated for closure.

While there are 54 educational institutions operating in Vayots Dzor, he noted that not only old schools designed for fewer than 100 students are being closed, but also newly built ones. "But it fits perfectly with the logic of Nikol Pashinyan's policies and programs," Ghazaryan said. He predicted that during the current government's tenure, 300,000 Azerbaijanis will be resettled in Armenia and will live in the villages where they lived before 1988-89, including Yeghegis and Gomk.  In this vein, he criticized the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports' school construction program, since the schools are being built using foreign debt and Armenian citizens, but for Azerbaijanis.  A similar fate awaits schools in the Tavush region. Specifically, days earlier, it was announced that a school for 91 students in the border village of Chinari would close on September 1. A total of 14 schools in Tavush are scheduled to close.

Earlier, political scientist and economist Grant Mikaelyan reported that, according to a government decision, 231 schools in Armenia will close in 2026. According to him, the government's decision also closes 41 hospitals in Armenia's regions, and 10 large medical centers will be opened in their place.  Moreover, as the political scientist explained, the Armenian side has already lost 219 schools, 21 hospitals, and 13 outpatient clinics as a result of Azerbaijani aggression and the occupation of Artsakh.  Thus, according to him, a total of 525 educational and medical institutions in Armenia and Artsakh will be closed or have already been lost. To support his claims, the expert presented a government decision of December 4, 2025: https://www.arlis.am/hy/acts/217599/print/act, as well as reports and lists confirming his statements.

In February 2026, rumors began circulating that the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MECS) of Armenia intended to close 231 schools in Armenia. However, the Ministry of Education and Science later refuted this information, stating that "the information disseminated on various platforms and the discussions organized around it about the alleged planned closure of 231 schools in the Republic of Armenia from September 2026 are not true and constitute disinformation."