Yerevan kindergartens largely alienated over 30 years, often through systematic schemes
The “Civil Contract” (CP) faction and the Investigative Committee of the Yerevan City Council have prepared a report based on the results of 6-month studies, which was presented by Armen Galjyan, head of the “CP” faction of the Council. The report concerns the alienation of kindergarten and school areas belonging to the former district communities of Yerevan and the Yerevan community during the period from September 21, 1991, to 2025.
According to him, written clarifications were received from various state and local self-government bodies regarding the grounds for alienation and liquidation decisions.
The study recorded that in a number of cases, underutilization or the dilapidated state of the buildings were presented as justifications, yet no corresponding supporting documents were found. It is noted that about 70 kindergartens were liquidated and alienated, while several dozen areas were provided for lease or free use for years.
Specific addresses were also presented where the areas were sold at a price significantly lower than the cadastral value. According to the report, such transactions were of a systematic nature and were implemented through repeating mechanisms in various administrative districts.
The report also addressed the current workload. There are 145 kindergartens operating in the city, attended by around 27,000 children, while the number of those on the waiting list is approaching 14,000. It is noted that the volume of queues exceeds the limits of natural workload and affects the accessibility of pre-school education.
During the discussion, opposition members of the Council inquired about how many cases have been reported to law enforcement and what progress they have made. The presenting party informed that criminal proceedings had been initiated in the past for separate cases, some of which were dismissed. At the same time, it was mentioned that the complete report is planned to be transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Opposition representatives also suggested presenting a video summary to the public, categorized by years and officials, indicating the periods when the alienations were carried out, and also voiced critical assessments regarding corruption risks.
