Epress.am News from Armenia
A Facebook group called “Let us sleep” has been created in response to a recent decision by Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan. Already intense discussions have taken place in the currently 145-member group.
As reported earlier, according to the mayor’s decision, “a pilot project is being implemented between Apr. 18 and May 18 (22 working days), according to which at 16 Kentron [“Center”], 5 Arabkir, 2 Shengavit and 1 Erebuni administrative district schools, as well as at 20 preschools in the Kentron administrative district, classes will begin at 8:30 am.” This is the city’s answer to morning rush hour.
“This ridiculous decision was most likely made spontaneously, since no research has been done on the consequences [of this decision],” reads the group’s description, in part.
“It’s incredible that in this country, where widespread irresponsibility, disorder, indifference and chaos reigns in state institutions (I can barely contain myself, so that I don’t say worse things), that people speak of discipline with reference to 3- to 5-year-old children. It’s simply ridiculous,” writes on Facebook user.
“Dear mayor, the transportation issue can be resolved in favor of the children, say, by supplying kindergartens with buses, so that children will be at the place of ‘service’ in the time you’ve determined,” wrote another group member.
Some group members wrote that they see nothing wrong with the mayor’s decision, saying that it’s not bad to teach children to get on a schedule from a young age. However, those who hold this view are few and their statements are often followed by numerous comments opposing this view:
“Now, if you examined [the issue] a little [more closely], even pediatricians advise not to feed children on a schedule, not even get them to sleep [on a schedule], until a certain age, 6–7 years old, when the child can get himself on a schedule. The schedule you speak of is simply [an act of] VIOLENCE against children of kindergarten age.”
Earlier, the mayor himself had posted a note on Facebook, saying that “in civilized countries, such schedules are applied both to avoid traffic jams and to optimally regulate parents’ daily schedules.”
“As for the comment ‘conduct the experiments on members of your family,’ let me say that there are two children in my family whose schedules have likewise been affected and they’re not too happy either. But this move is not an end in itself, but rather one of many steps aimed at regulating the problem of morning [rush-hour] traffic,” wrote Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan, urging Facebook users and Yerevan residents “to be respectful and show restraint when speaking to each other.”