RA Ministry of Education refutes problems at Goris State College

ArmInfo.  Goris State College continues its normal operations without any interruptions. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MESC) of Armenia  reported this to ArmInfo in response to an earlier strike by college  faculty and students following the dismissal of college director  Karen Lazaryan by MESCS head Zhanna Andreasyan.

"Currently, 72 teachers work at Goris State College, continuously  working in accordance with the established procedures and schedule,  ensuring the normal operation of the institution. The work process is  clearly organized and unimpeded. To date, not a single employee has  submitted any written statements to the college's management,  including those requiring signature or related to termination of  employment," the ministry reported. The Ministry of Education and  Science also commented on the information regarding the merger of  Goris State College and Goris State Agricultural College named after  Professor Kh. Yeritsyan. 

According to the source, the Ministry initiated and submitted for  government approval the decision to reorganize these educational  institutions through a merger. This decision, as explained by the  Ministry of Education and Science, was approved by Government  Resolution No. 441-A of April 17, 2025, and is aimed at modernizing  educational programs in line with socio-economic development needs,  introducing new professions in line with current regional needs,  promoting the professional development of teachers, and implementing  new management models.

Thus, as the ministry noted, a new state-owned non-profit  organization, Goris Multifunctional State College, was established  under the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of  Armenia.

"Furthermore, the merger of educational institutions is the result of  the implementation of paragraph 11.1 of the Armenian government's  action plan (2021-2026) on the reorganization of primary and  secondary vocational education, approved by Armenian government  resolution No. 1902-L of November 18, 2021.  This plan envisages the  merger of educational institutions, as well as the improvement of  their infrastructure to increase the efficiency and focus of their  educational programs," the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture,  and Sports of Armenia summarized.

As a reminder, on December 4, according to a publication by Goris  State College, faculty and students of the educational institution  went on strike, blocking the entrance to the institution for newly  appointed acting director Armine Kolyan. The strike erupted following  the dismissal of college director Karen Lazaryan, who had held the  position for 16 years, by order of the Minister of Education,  Science, Culture, and Sports (MECS), Zhanna Andreasyan, and the  decision to merge the college with Goris State Agricultural College.   The college feared that if the two colleges were merged, the  leadership would be led by someone representing the interests of the  ruling Civil Contract party. It was reported that, on December 2,  three dozen college employees submitted resignations based on their  own statements, but withdrew them at the insistence of the now-fired  Lazaryan.