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ARMENIAN STUDENTS PROTEST CONSCRIPTION DRIVE
Hasmik Hambardzumian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR
June 15 2010
UK
Postgraduates no longer automatically let off serving in the military.
Students in Armenia are furious about a cut in the number of
post-graduate places that secure an exemption from military
conscription, saying the government is wrong to favour the army
over academia.
Under the conscription system, all males between 18 and 27 have to
serve two years in the army, but until now, people studying for a
master's degree or the higher "aspirantura" qualification have been
exempted and allowed to continue their studies uninterrupted.
The Armenian army is, however, suffering a shortage of men. The current
generation of conscripts was born in the years immediately following
the end of the Soviet Union, when the birth rate fell dramatically.
Students say the reduction in post-graduate places is intended solely
to swell the ranks of the army.
"Before this ruling, I could have calmly gone on to do a master's
degree. Last year, there were 13 places available for Spanish language,
but this year there won't be any," said Sos Avetisyan, a student
in his fourth year at Yerevan State University. "The government's
decision violates my rights, and there are many others like me."
For the academic year starting this September, there will be 1,543
master's degree places funded by the state. That number is unchanged
from last year, but now 1,193 of these places will not exempt the
holders from doing military service. As for the aspirantura - a
qualification above a master's but not as high as a western doctorate -
there will be just 122 funded places, down from 134 this year.
Avetik Ishkhanyan, a rights activist from and head of the Helsinki
Committee of Armenia, said the government was violating students'
rights and ignoring the law.
"The public always needs to know the rules of the game. They
are changing the rules in the middle of the game, when people had
already made their plans. Changing the rules mid-game is completely
unacceptable. Such actions will increase distrust of the state,"
he said.
Government officials insist the changes are well-thought-out reforms
intended to modernise the education system, and deny that a spell in
the army would do postgraduate students any harm.
"Neither education nor the sciences will suffer any harm from these
changes," said Robert Sukiasyan, head of the education ministry's
department for higher education. "Anyone who wants to continue their
studies can resume them on returning from the army no matter how much
time has elapsed, whether two or four years."
In May, several dozen students staged a protest against the changes
outside Yerevan State University. Among them was physics student
Daniel Ioannisyan, who said the government had not taken account of
the damage the changes would do to education.
"Students who are for example completing a BA in the physics faculty
and have the potential to become good physicists will not go on to
do a master's. They'll be dispersed around military bases, where at
best they'll peel potatoes or stand guard holding guns. That's a very
poorly-conceived use of resources," said Ioannisyan.
"I don't see how someone will continue in the basic sciences and
achieve valuable things after a spell in the army," he said, adding
that neither the prime minister nor the education minister had served
in the army.
Armenian officials note that the country has yet to sign a peace
deal with Azerbaijan to end the currently dormant conflict over
Nagorny-Karabakh.
Vagharshak Harutyunyan, a former defence minister, says the government
needs to do more to ensure the armed forces are in a fit state to
defend the country for the eventuality that the conflict flares
up again.
"I think people have to serve in the army, especially in our country
given that the conflict hasn't even ended," he said.
Harutyunyan said young men should go into the military straight after
school, with no postponement. "That's the age when they are most
receptive and physically ready for it. [In Georgia] the army did not
survive because they said students wouldn't be conscripted. Our army
survived because we conscripted everyone without exception."
Demands made by students go beyond the conscription issue, and
include calls for examination results to be made public, so as to
end corrupt practices in the admissions process for post-graduate
courses. This demand went unheeded as the lists for 2010 admissions
closed in early June.
"Our goal today is to continue the fight for another 360 days so we
can influence the number of places next year," said Ioannisyan.
From: A. Papazian
Hasmik Hambardzumian
Institute for War and Peace Reporting IWPR
June 15 2010
UK
Postgraduates no longer automatically let off serving in the military.
Students in Armenia are furious about a cut in the number of
post-graduate places that secure an exemption from military
conscription, saying the government is wrong to favour the army
over academia.
Under the conscription system, all males between 18 and 27 have to
serve two years in the army, but until now, people studying for a
master's degree or the higher "aspirantura" qualification have been
exempted and allowed to continue their studies uninterrupted.
The Armenian army is, however, suffering a shortage of men. The current
generation of conscripts was born in the years immediately following
the end of the Soviet Union, when the birth rate fell dramatically.
Students say the reduction in post-graduate places is intended solely
to swell the ranks of the army.
"Before this ruling, I could have calmly gone on to do a master's
degree. Last year, there were 13 places available for Spanish language,
but this year there won't be any," said Sos Avetisyan, a student
in his fourth year at Yerevan State University. "The government's
decision violates my rights, and there are many others like me."
For the academic year starting this September, there will be 1,543
master's degree places funded by the state. That number is unchanged
from last year, but now 1,193 of these places will not exempt the
holders from doing military service. As for the aspirantura - a
qualification above a master's but not as high as a western doctorate -
there will be just 122 funded places, down from 134 this year.
Avetik Ishkhanyan, a rights activist from and head of the Helsinki
Committee of Armenia, said the government was violating students'
rights and ignoring the law.
"The public always needs to know the rules of the game. They
are changing the rules in the middle of the game, when people had
already made their plans. Changing the rules mid-game is completely
unacceptable. Such actions will increase distrust of the state,"
he said.
Government officials insist the changes are well-thought-out reforms
intended to modernise the education system, and deny that a spell in
the army would do postgraduate students any harm.
"Neither education nor the sciences will suffer any harm from these
changes," said Robert Sukiasyan, head of the education ministry's
department for higher education. "Anyone who wants to continue their
studies can resume them on returning from the army no matter how much
time has elapsed, whether two or four years."
In May, several dozen students staged a protest against the changes
outside Yerevan State University. Among them was physics student
Daniel Ioannisyan, who said the government had not taken account of
the damage the changes would do to education.
"Students who are for example completing a BA in the physics faculty
and have the potential to become good physicists will not go on to
do a master's. They'll be dispersed around military bases, where at
best they'll peel potatoes or stand guard holding guns. That's a very
poorly-conceived use of resources," said Ioannisyan.
"I don't see how someone will continue in the basic sciences and
achieve valuable things after a spell in the army," he said, adding
that neither the prime minister nor the education minister had served
in the army.
Armenian officials note that the country has yet to sign a peace
deal with Azerbaijan to end the currently dormant conflict over
Nagorny-Karabakh.
Vagharshak Harutyunyan, a former defence minister, says the government
needs to do more to ensure the armed forces are in a fit state to
defend the country for the eventuality that the conflict flares
up again.
"I think people have to serve in the army, especially in our country
given that the conflict hasn't even ended," he said.
Harutyunyan said young men should go into the military straight after
school, with no postponement. "That's the age when they are most
receptive and physically ready for it. [In Georgia] the army did not
survive because they said students wouldn't be conscripted. Our army
survived because we conscripted everyone without exception."
Demands made by students go beyond the conscription issue, and
include calls for examination results to be made public, so as to
end corrupt practices in the admissions process for post-graduate
courses. This demand went unheeded as the lists for 2010 admissions
closed in early June.
"Our goal today is to continue the fight for another 360 days so we
can influence the number of places next year," said Ioannisyan.
From: A. Papazian