Dilapidated School in Armenian Village Heated with Prohibited Tin Stoves

The school building in the village of Tsilkar in Armenia’s Aragatsotn province is in an extremely dilapidated condition; according to Tsilkar village head Hovhannes Melkonyan, the building has not undergone a full overhaul since it was originally constructed in the mid-90s.

“The roof was repaired once because it had been completely damaged by wind. There was a sponsor who [provided the funds] to replace the windows and wanted to make other repairs, but the renovation was left unfinished due to some disagreements with the school headmaster,” Melkonyan told Epress.am on Tuesday. He added that the kerosene stoves used in the school do not provide sufficient heating on the premises.

The school issue was reported today by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office (HCAV), which said that the school was being heated with tin stoves, the exploitation of which has been prohibited by a decree of the Minister of Health. HCAV has appealed to the Ministry of Education and Science to deal with the matter promptly.