Anahit Bakhshyan, an MP from the opposition Heritage Party’s faction, has criticized the amendments to the Law on Education of Armenia made early this month, as she insists they do not meet the interests of students and teachers.

Bakhshyan, who heads the parliament’s standing commission on science, education, culture, youth affairs and sport, reminded at a press conference on Friday that she herself is the co-author of the above-mentioned law adopted by the National Assembly in July. However, she said, on December 1 the Government suggested amending the law, which unpleasantly surprised the co-authors of the law. These amendments are already approved by the National Assembly.

Bakhshyan mainly criticized the amendment, according to which the provision of an article (stating that textbooks should undergo an examination at a school and only then to be used at all schools) is revoked. According to the MP, by that move, the Government and the MPs that voted in favor considered the interests of publishers rather than students. The opposition MP also said that under the Law on Education, teachers working at schools situated in mountainous border regions of Armenia received an extra 50 percent to their salaries. The amendments also killed this provision.

Bakhshyan said she was perplexed by the position of one of the co-authors of the law Armen Ashotyan (current Minister of Education and Science) who in summer headed the parliamentary commission on education and science and “fervently fought for introducing these provisions, but now, in the capacity of a minister, he just as fervently demanded their revocation.”

“I can say one thing, the entry of those amendments will not have a positive impact on either the effectiveness or quality of education,” Bakhshyan concluded.