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ANY ELEMENTS OF SELF-GOVERNANCE IN UNIVERSITIES HAVE BEEN METICULOUSLY DESTROYED. STATEMENT
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society25972.html
Published: 15:45:25 - 27/04/2012
The order by Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan to
remove Suren Zolyan, Rector of Yerevan State Linguistic Union named
after Brusov, from his position emphasizes once again the fact that
the higher education system in Armenia is in intolerable condition.
The order also reflects the desire of the Executive to establish direct
control on academic institutions and shows the Ministry's condescending
attitude towards the faculty and students of the University.
The dismissal of the rector, which took place without the decision
of the governing body of the University - the Board of Trustees, is
suspect, to say the least, from the point of view of corresponding
to the law. Moreover, the order creates the impression of disdain not
only towards the governing collegial body but also towards the whole
principle of self-governance of universities. Zolyan's dismissal once
again puts the spotlight on the contradictory situation in which the
universities find themselves and their dependence on the Executive, as
was the case when the status of state non-commercial organizations was
conferred upon them. It is also of concern that the reason for which
Zolyan received a strict reprimand was the fulfillment of his duties
as a Council of Europe (CoE) expert. Because Zolyan had left for the
CoE event as an expert proposed by the Government of Armenia, to see
him punished by the same Government of Armenia for fulfilling those
duties is not only strictly illogical, but it is also an expression
of disrespect towards the CoE and its operations.
This whole story regarding the dismissal is a testimony to the
fact that in parallel to all the assurances of loyalty towards the
Bologna process, a precisely opposite set of developments has taken
place in Armenia. Instead of reorganizing the governance of higher
education institutions in Armenia to put them in harmony with European
standards, any elements of self-governance in universities have been
meticulously destroyed. The boards of trustees have ended up under the
control of the Executive both de facto and de jure. State officials
have become the chairpersons of the boards of trustees of all the
leading universities. Unfortunately, this usurpation of the higher
education system by the Executive under the cover of "reforms" and
"Europeanization" went unnoticed both by the staff of the universities
and the donors financing those reforms. It is symbolic in this sense
that the dismissed rector is from the university where a certain
ground for reform had actually been laid.
We, the undersigned, express our profound disagreement with the
way in which Suren Zolyan's dismissal was organized, we condemn the
governance mechanisms currently seen in universities and we demand -
- an immediate and complete rejection of all legally suspect decisions
- a resolution to the current situation through an open and transparent
process
- urgent reform to the governance system for universities, including
academic independence with real guarantees, not just formalities.
Larisa Minasyan, Open Society Foundations - Armenia Gevorg
Ter-Gabrielyan, Eurasia Partnership Foundation - Armenia Boris
Navasardian, Yerevan Press Club
Stepan Danielyan, Cooperation for Democracy Centre
Stepan Grigoryan, Analytical Centre for Globalization and Regional
Cooperation Levon Barseghyan, 'Asparez' Gyumri Journalists Club Avetik
Ishkhanyan, Helsinki Committee of Armenia Artak Zeinalyan, 'Rule of
Law' NGO Artur Sakunts, Vanadzor Office of Helsinki Citizens Assembly
Sona Ayvazyan, 'Transparency International Armenia' Anticorruption
Centre
Elina Poghosbekyan, Media Diversity Institute
Gagik Avagyan,"Partnership and Democracy" NGO
Sona Hovhannisyan, "Mijnaberd" NGO
Nazareth Nazaretyan, DVV-international - Armenia
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/society25972.html
Published: 15:45:25 - 27/04/2012
The order by Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan to
remove Suren Zolyan, Rector of Yerevan State Linguistic Union named
after Brusov, from his position emphasizes once again the fact that
the higher education system in Armenia is in intolerable condition.
The order also reflects the desire of the Executive to establish direct
control on academic institutions and shows the Ministry's condescending
attitude towards the faculty and students of the University.
The dismissal of the rector, which took place without the decision
of the governing body of the University - the Board of Trustees, is
suspect, to say the least, from the point of view of corresponding
to the law. Moreover, the order creates the impression of disdain not
only towards the governing collegial body but also towards the whole
principle of self-governance of universities. Zolyan's dismissal once
again puts the spotlight on the contradictory situation in which the
universities find themselves and their dependence on the Executive, as
was the case when the status of state non-commercial organizations was
conferred upon them. It is also of concern that the reason for which
Zolyan received a strict reprimand was the fulfillment of his duties
as a Council of Europe (CoE) expert. Because Zolyan had left for the
CoE event as an expert proposed by the Government of Armenia, to see
him punished by the same Government of Armenia for fulfilling those
duties is not only strictly illogical, but it is also an expression
of disrespect towards the CoE and its operations.
This whole story regarding the dismissal is a testimony to the
fact that in parallel to all the assurances of loyalty towards the
Bologna process, a precisely opposite set of developments has taken
place in Armenia. Instead of reorganizing the governance of higher
education institutions in Armenia to put them in harmony with European
standards, any elements of self-governance in universities have been
meticulously destroyed. The boards of trustees have ended up under the
control of the Executive both de facto and de jure. State officials
have become the chairpersons of the boards of trustees of all the
leading universities. Unfortunately, this usurpation of the higher
education system by the Executive under the cover of "reforms" and
"Europeanization" went unnoticed both by the staff of the universities
and the donors financing those reforms. It is symbolic in this sense
that the dismissed rector is from the university where a certain
ground for reform had actually been laid.
We, the undersigned, express our profound disagreement with the
way in which Suren Zolyan's dismissal was organized, we condemn the
governance mechanisms currently seen in universities and we demand -
- an immediate and complete rejection of all legally suspect decisions
- a resolution to the current situation through an open and transparent
process
- urgent reform to the governance system for universities, including
academic independence with real guarantees, not just formalities.
Larisa Minasyan, Open Society Foundations - Armenia Gevorg
Ter-Gabrielyan, Eurasia Partnership Foundation - Armenia Boris
Navasardian, Yerevan Press Club
Stepan Danielyan, Cooperation for Democracy Centre
Stepan Grigoryan, Analytical Centre for Globalization and Regional
Cooperation Levon Barseghyan, 'Asparez' Gyumri Journalists Club Avetik
Ishkhanyan, Helsinki Committee of Armenia Artak Zeinalyan, 'Rule of
Law' NGO Artur Sakunts, Vanadzor Office of Helsinki Citizens Assembly
Sona Ayvazyan, 'Transparency International Armenia' Anticorruption
Centre
Elina Poghosbekyan, Media Diversity Institute
Gagik Avagyan,"Partnership and Democracy" NGO
Sona Hovhannisyan, "Mijnaberd" NGO
Nazareth Nazaretyan, DVV-international - Armenia