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ARE KINDERGARTENS CORRUPTED TOO?
A1+
[12:46 pm] 16 December, 2008
Kindergartens nationwide are collecting money from parents. In many
districts, kindergartens are still heated with radiators or wood. That
is why parents are obliged to make payments and this is the issue
facing residents of the Malatia-Sebastia district.
"They installed a wood heater to heat the rooms and made us each pay
3,000 drams," complained a couple of residents of the district. "As
if collecting 2,000 drams wasn't enough, now they want money for
the winter. I paid 10,000 drams for my kids alone. If we don't pay,
they tell us that the rest of the students are paying too," said one
of the parents.
Parents say that they are ready to pay more money as long as they
don't face this issue each winter.
Economist of the education department of the Malatia-Sebastia district
council Gayane Antonyan told "A1+" that only 7 of the 23 kindergartens
of district are heated.
"The other kindergartens will be gasified by 2012. Until then,
directors of kindergartens are forced to provide wood or radiators,"
said Antonyan.
The district council workers had no idea about this.
"If the kindergarten can't provide the necessary heating, it is forced
to close its doors in January and February. That happens anyway,
because parents refuse to take their children to the kindergarten. As
for collecting money, I have not received any alarm," said Gayane
Antonyan.
Meanwhile, during our visits to the kindergartens, many directors
assured us that the district head, the district council administration
and the head of the education department know that kindergartens are
heated with wood and radiators.
"They came and saw that we are using firewood and even praised us. They
weren't the ones who bought the wood for us, so they know how we got
it," they said and added that even in the case of heating parents
will be forced to make payments for the gas.
"The directors are left with all the expenses. We provide the service
and the parents must pay us for that," said director of the #169
kindergarten Gayane Sargsyan.
"We have signed an agreement with the parents for the collecting
money," said Sargsyan. However, parents denied that to "A1+".
The aldermen of the Malatia-Sebastia district council have fixed
5,000 drams for food at the kindergarten, while the minimum price
for food in kindergartens is 6,000-7,000 drams. In addition to that,
directors collect 1,000 or 2,000 drams from parents to take care of
communal expenses.
ON FOOD AND PRESENTS
Most of the parents complained about the quality of nutrition. "They
don't put up the menus and when we ask the children what they ate,
they say rice with water," they said. Kindergarten directors said
that it is hard to get high-calorie food with 230 drams a day. In an
interview with "A1+
The parents refused to give out their names with the fear that
their teachers would treat them badly. But they did say that the
kindergartens always collect money for carpets and curtains every year.
Last year, the kindergarten collected 15,000 drams from parents to
purchase robes for the graduating class and the robes stayed in the
kindergarten after that. According to the parents, money is collected
"more often" especially when the holidays come around when the parent
committee "activists" collect money to buy presents for the teachers.
A1+
[12:46 pm] 16 December, 2008
Kindergartens nationwide are collecting money from parents. In many
districts, kindergartens are still heated with radiators or wood. That
is why parents are obliged to make payments and this is the issue
facing residents of the Malatia-Sebastia district.
"They installed a wood heater to heat the rooms and made us each pay
3,000 drams," complained a couple of residents of the district. "As
if collecting 2,000 drams wasn't enough, now they want money for
the winter. I paid 10,000 drams for my kids alone. If we don't pay,
they tell us that the rest of the students are paying too," said one
of the parents.
Parents say that they are ready to pay more money as long as they
don't face this issue each winter.
Economist of the education department of the Malatia-Sebastia district
council Gayane Antonyan told "A1+" that only 7 of the 23 kindergartens
of district are heated.
"The other kindergartens will be gasified by 2012. Until then,
directors of kindergartens are forced to provide wood or radiators,"
said Antonyan.
The district council workers had no idea about this.
"If the kindergarten can't provide the necessary heating, it is forced
to close its doors in January and February. That happens anyway,
because parents refuse to take their children to the kindergarten. As
for collecting money, I have not received any alarm," said Gayane
Antonyan.
Meanwhile, during our visits to the kindergartens, many directors
assured us that the district head, the district council administration
and the head of the education department know that kindergartens are
heated with wood and radiators.
"They came and saw that we are using firewood and even praised us. They
weren't the ones who bought the wood for us, so they know how we got
it," they said and added that even in the case of heating parents
will be forced to make payments for the gas.
"The directors are left with all the expenses. We provide the service
and the parents must pay us for that," said director of the #169
kindergarten Gayane Sargsyan.
"We have signed an agreement with the parents for the collecting
money," said Sargsyan. However, parents denied that to "A1+".
The aldermen of the Malatia-Sebastia district council have fixed
5,000 drams for food at the kindergarten, while the minimum price
for food in kindergartens is 6,000-7,000 drams. In addition to that,
directors collect 1,000 or 2,000 drams from parents to take care of
communal expenses.
ON FOOD AND PRESENTS
Most of the parents complained about the quality of nutrition. "They
don't put up the menus and when we ask the children what they ate,
they say rice with water," they said. Kindergarten directors said
that it is hard to get high-calorie food with 230 drams a day. In an
interview with "A1+
The parents refused to give out their names with the fear that
their teachers would treat them badly. But they did say that the
kindergartens always collect money for carpets and curtains every year.
Last year, the kindergarten collected 15,000 drams from parents to
purchase robes for the graduating class and the robes stayed in the
kindergarten after that. According to the parents, money is collected
"more often" especially when the holidays come around when the parent
committee "activists" collect money to buy presents for the teachers.