The very first day (February 1) when kindergartens in Yerevan and elsewhere in the country reopened after a two-month vacation (because of seasonal flu) some of them stated they would work till 5:00 p. m, an hour less than they did before closure.

The reduction of the budgetary funds in the education sector threatens kindergartens; still it is not clear yet to what extent the financing of kindergartens has been cut. Heads of kindergartens are sure that the financing, as compared with the previous years, will be correspondently reduced.

Last year the funds for kindergartens were managed by communities, which decided how much money one kindergarten or another should be given. And this year, Yerevan’s municipality is in charge of kindergartens’ funds.

Naira Gevorgyan, principal of kindergarten # 11, in Yerevan’s Arabkir community, says that they have not made any changes yet, and they keep their children till 6:00 p. m. However, as a result of budget reduction, it is not excluded that they (children) will stay at kindergartens shorter, and staff reductions will be registered, too.

“We have an instruction from Yerevan’s municipality to work until 5:00 p. m., and they said that salaries would be reduced,” said one of the nursemaids at a Malatia-Sebastia community kindergarten (who wished to remain anonymous). She used to get 67,000 drams ($178) before, but now her salary will be 57,000 drams ($152).

Yerevan’s municipality refuted this information, saying that such a change could have been made only with parents’ permission.

If such a change is made, it can directly affect working parents. Mane Madoyan, a 23-years-old working mother, says it will simply be a senseless decision for a country where officially the working day ends at 6:00 p. m.

“It’s clear we will not manage to take our children from kindergarten by 5 p. m,” says Madoyan, who has a two-year-old daughter in her care.