Armenian Community of Georgia about Armenian schools problems

Armenian Community of Georgia sent to Ombudsman of Country the documentary about the discrimination in Armenian schools of Georgia.

Armenian Community of Georgia sent a request to Public Defender of Georgia about the situation, created in Armenian sector of public school №103 in Tbilisi.

ACG calls Public defender to investigate the incident of discrimination and violation of minority rights in school and take appropriate measures to regulate situation.

ACG had been monitoring the situation in the school for the last 2 years 2010-2011. During this period of time there were fixed many facts of the violations of the rights of national minorities.

Armenian Community of Georgia sent to Public Defender of Georgia all documentation and fixed facts of discrimination in Armenian sector of public school №103 in Tbilisi. In the request said that the direction of public school №103 in Tbilisi, except the discrimination in Armenian sector, allowed many other violations: administrative, financial, ethical etc.

In the requests also listed facts of discrimination by the school direction, among which: “Holding the most of lessons in Russian; numerous tries to liquidate the sector; interference in registration children to the 1st class of Armenian school sector; the pressure on parents to transfer their children to the Georgian sector; failures in transferring children from the liquidated Armenian-Russian sector; failure in opening Armenian 3rd class; threats, that in the elementary school only one subject (Armenian) will be taught in Armenian (the rest in Russian or Georgian); the constant psychological crush on teachers in Armenian Sector; creating of unequal conditions of work (with Russian and Georgian sectors); constant charging in incompetence; the reduction of teachers’ hours in Armenian sector; firing 9 of 18 teachers working in Armenian sector, while they had their paid holiday claiming it by reduction of the Armenian language lessons; etc.”

Copies of the request were sent to the President of Georgia, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, the Prime Minister of Georgia, the Representations of UN and EU in Georgia.

In the past Armenian Community of Georgia has repeatedly appealed with the letters and called the Public Defender of Georgia and Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia to pay attention on this situation and stop the discrimination in Armenian sectors of public schools of Tbilisi. However, there is no response from these institutions and the situation in schools is getting worse.

Armenian Community of Georgia hopes that the Public Defender of Georgia will be studied all the fixed facts of discrimination in the Armenian sector of public school № 103 in Tbilisi and the measures will be taken.