Schoolchildren in Aparan heading to a pro-Pashinyan election rally

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed on Thursday that he had ordered the dismissal of four school principals after an uproar erupted when teachers and schoolchildren attended his election rally on Wednesday.

The incident, which took place in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Provice on Wednesday was observed by the Akanates monitoring group, which reported what it said were election violations in a detailed report.

Pashinyan claimed he told the four school officials to resign, “pending an inquiry.”

“We will conduct an internal inquiry, and if turns out that there was an illegal order [by them,] they will definitely be sacked,” he told reporters.

In its extensive report, Akanates noted that its observers recorded on-site that principals and teachers from several schools in Aparan and nearby settlements participated in Civil Contract’s campaign during working hours.

“Of particular concern is that, under direct instructions from school administrations and teaching staff, students were taken out of classes in order to welcome the Prime Minister and ensure participation in the campaign event,” the report said.

“The students were also reportedly provided with ‘mandatory instructions in advance regarding their appearance, clothing, and even hairstyles, being urged to wear braids,” the report added.

“In some cases, observers ‘personally witnessed’ how the school principals and teachers, via phone calls, issued ‘loud and strict instructions’ demanding that children’s participation be ensured in ‘a mandatory and organized manner,” the Akantes group said.

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