Principal of Armenian School Where Sexual Abuse Took Place Wants his Job Back

The case of former principal of Nubarashen no. 11 school for special needs children Meroujan Yengibaryan vs. RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan took place in the RA Administrative Court earlier today. 

Representing Yengibaryan was Melsik Manukyan, while the education ministry was represented by its legal department’s chief expert, Lilit Vardanyan. 

The plaintiff, citing Articles 6 and 13 of the RA Labor Code, was asking the court to annul an order by the eduction ministry, according to which Merujan Yengibaryan was let go from his position as school principal. Manukyan, representing the plaintiff, stressed his client worked for 37 consecutive years at the school, and in 2008, received a gold medal from the Ministry of Education and Science for excellence in his work. 

Vardanyan objected the appeal, saying that the school principal bears full responsibility for what happens at the school. Recall that incidents of a teacher at the school physically and sexually abusing the children were uncovered last year. As a result, a criminal case was launched and the teacher, Levon Avagyan, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison. The education ministry thus found that the principal was not in charge of the situation and decided to let him go. 

According to a decision by Judge Mirozoyan, the court session was postponed. Further, the defense was ordered to present, within a three-day period, the basis for its decision to remove Meroujan Yengibaryan from his post.

Later, Manukyan, speaking to journalists, insisted that his client’s case has no connection with Avagyan’s case. Further, he said they appealed to the RA Administrative Court to dispute, in his words, the respectable minister’s order, which, they say, is unlawful. 

“The plaintiff finds that there is no legislative basis for the order,” he said. 

Also present during the court session today was Heritage Party MP Anahit Bakhshyan, who, speaking to journalists, said that the education ministry representative did not properly present the education minister in court. 

“And at one point, he left the impression that a possible turnaround could happen. That’s unacceptable; it doesn’t stem from the education and science ministry’s interests. I think that the 3 days that were given to the Ministry of Education and Science representative is enough time, so that the attorney presents the minister’s order very well,” she said. 

Further, the Armenian parliamentarian considers it impossible that the school principal was unaware of the abuse happening at the school.

“The principal is obligated to prevent such incidents and to take appropriate measures within the [confines of the] law. And if that hasn’t happened, then it remains to think that he was a participant,” said Bakhshyan. 

Speaking to journalists, the education ministry representative, Lilit Vardanyan, first explained that she’s not an attorney, but rather a legal expert with the defense ministry, then said they are going to stand behind their decision to fire the principal till the end. 

“There’s no return,” she said. 

Also at today’s court session was Mariam Sukhudyan, a staunch environmentalist and activist who was first to go public with the cases of abuse at the school. She said she has facts and evidence that the principal was aware of Avagyan’s actions since the children at the school stated that they appealed to the principal, as well as his wife who works at the school, on numerous occasions. 

“Yes, Yengibaryan knew about it and not only that, there are other things connected with him: the hitting, the cases of violence,” she said.

In the presence of media, Sukhudyan offered to cooperate with the education ministry’s representative and expressed her willingness to provide the evidence at her disposal, to which Vardanyan responded by saying that has no connection with this case. 

“Why don’t they try to cooperate? What, is it specially done so the scenario plays out this way and he is restored, and that pedophile principal goes back and continues to contaminate the children’s destinies?” said Sukhudyan, adding that she’s concerned and has heard from trusted sources that the principal will be restored to his position.