In Armenia, students plan endless strike against increase of tuition fees

On September 2, students-protesters announced a start of their endless strike in Yerevan. They demand to recall the decision to raise tuition fees in higher education.

Let us remind you that this summer the tuition fees in five state universities of Armenia, including the Yerevan State University (YSU), were increased by 100,000 drams (about 250 US dollars). This decision led to massive students' protests.

During the protest action held on August 29 students passed over a letter to Minister Armen Ashotyan, presenting their demands and proposals. In particular, students are interested in the issue of increased quality of education in the event that ''the teaching staff remains the same.''

''Students demand "to suspend the decision to raise tuition fees until the social packages and preferential system, promised by the government, are in place and enacted.''

Arutyun Mkrtchyan, a second year student of the International Department of the YSU, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that at the meetings with students on August 14 and 20 Minister Ashotyan made it clear that the decision to raise fees in any event will not be cancelled, but some preferential system will be launched instead in January 2014.

Mr Ashotyan has also assured students that his Ministry had nothing to do with universities' decision to raise tuition fees: each of them had its own reasons for that.

Ani Navasardyan, a second-year master student at the Yerevan State Conservatory, believes that the decision to raise tuition fees is illegal and will lead to migration of young people.