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Teachers in Armenia's secondary schools forced to accept tour
operators' packages
11:56 * 22.07.14
In the frameworks of a social package that offers summer rest services
to teachers of secondary schools, several principals force their
staffs to collaborate with specified tour operators.
Tert.am has received complaints in this connection from different
school teachers who preferred to remain unidentified to avoid possible
conflicts with their leadership.
Companies very often turned out unable to offer services for a
specified period, notwithstanding the fact that teachers had already
transferred the required sum to the corresponding bank accounts (based
on an agreement between the teacher and the bank).
Tert.am contacted the Ministry of Education and Science for further
clarification. Gevorg Yeghinyan, Head of the Financial-Economic and
Auditing Department, denied any connections with the project, noting
that all financial issues are resolved only through banks. "We do not,
in any way, interfere in those affairs," he said.
The government body responsible for coordinating the social package
service in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the Ministry
of Economy. Speaking to our correspondent, the head of the agency's
Tourism Department, Mekhak Apresyan, said they have a list of
registered tour operators which the beneficiaries can select,
"The procedures of ensuring rest and registering tour operators are
established by a ministerial decree which lays out the criteria," he
explained.
Asked whether there is a procedure or condition obliging a school to
collaborate with a specific company, Apresyan gave a negative answer.
"Everybody has the right to independently select any of the companies
published on our website. They can be redirected to those companies'
sites to explore [the opportunities] and make their choice based on
the offers," he said, noting that the offers never restrict
beneficiaries' rights but oblige operators to clearly mention the
price when preparing the package (including the hotel service costs
whuch should not exceed the retail prices declared).
Apresyan further warned against any forced collaboration with a
tourist company. "It isn't allowed to force anything; they may just
give advice. Neither is it bad for companies to conduct marketing to
introduce their services. We can definitely say that no one has any
right to force a beneficiary to select this or that operator," he
added.
Apresyan called upon beneficiaries to be better aware of their rights
to properly benefit from the opportunities offered. He further
promised liability measures against any side that would violate the
procedures.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/07/22/principals-break-law/
operators' packages
11:56 * 22.07.14
In the frameworks of a social package that offers summer rest services
to teachers of secondary schools, several principals force their
staffs to collaborate with specified tour operators.
Tert.am has received complaints in this connection from different
school teachers who preferred to remain unidentified to avoid possible
conflicts with their leadership.
Companies very often turned out unable to offer services for a
specified period, notwithstanding the fact that teachers had already
transferred the required sum to the corresponding bank accounts (based
on an agreement between the teacher and the bank).
Tert.am contacted the Ministry of Education and Science for further
clarification. Gevorg Yeghinyan, Head of the Financial-Economic and
Auditing Department, denied any connections with the project, noting
that all financial issues are resolved only through banks. "We do not,
in any way, interfere in those affairs," he said.
The government body responsible for coordinating the social package
service in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the Ministry
of Economy. Speaking to our correspondent, the head of the agency's
Tourism Department, Mekhak Apresyan, said they have a list of
registered tour operators which the beneficiaries can select,
"The procedures of ensuring rest and registering tour operators are
established by a ministerial decree which lays out the criteria," he
explained.
Asked whether there is a procedure or condition obliging a school to
collaborate with a specific company, Apresyan gave a negative answer.
"Everybody has the right to independently select any of the companies
published on our website. They can be redirected to those companies'
sites to explore [the opportunities] and make their choice based on
the offers," he said, noting that the offers never restrict
beneficiaries' rights but oblige operators to clearly mention the
price when preparing the package (including the hotel service costs
whuch should not exceed the retail prices declared).
Apresyan further warned against any forced collaboration with a
tourist company. "It isn't allowed to force anything; they may just
give advice. Neither is it bad for companies to conduct marketing to
introduce their services. We can definitely say that no one has any
right to force a beneficiary to select this or that operator," he
added.
Apresyan called upon beneficiaries to be better aware of their rights
to properly benefit from the opportunities offered. He further
promised liability measures against any side that would violate the
procedures.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/07/22/principals-break-law/