Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

A group of students held a protest against the hike of tuition fees in the Armenian capital Yerevan on September 2.

Following a rise of gas and electricity fees, it is envisaged to increase tuition fees in five Armenian educational institutions for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The students, including freshmen and students of more senior grades, protested in front of the central building of Yerevan State University, Tert.am reported.

A first-year student said that they were fighting tuition fees and would do everything possible for cancellation of the government's decision.

Another student noted that the police were trampling on their right to free movement.

Student of Yerevan State University Oriental Studies faculty Gregory Edzgeridze told journalists that he does not know how many people would join them, but "there is a backbone around which other students will gather".

As regards the forms of struggle, Edzgeridze said they would hold a student strike as the last resort. According to Edzgeridze, it is not "understandable" that tuition fees are being raised to improve the quality of education.

Participants of the protest handed out flyers to students passing by and offered them to join the rally.

Being afraid of the growing number of protesters, Armenian police intervened in the protest, arguing that the protesters are bothering teachers and other students. Initially, the police demanded that the protesters vacate the staircase leading to the main entrance.

They demanded that the students stand away from the entrance. Furthermore, the police forbade a mouthpiece which the protesters used to call on other students to join them.

First-year students of Yerevan State University of Architecture also joined the protest.

Reaching the Armenian State University of Economics, the protesters called on students to join them. The students say that the rallies will continue until their demands are met.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian, who arrived at Yerevan State University for a meeting with the students, tried to avoid a meeting with the groups of students approaching him, pastinfo.am reported.

Answering journalists' questions whether he is going to support the students in their struggle, the minister said it is beyond the powers of the Foreign Ministry.

From the building of Yerevan State University, where the main rally was held, the students headed to a government building. Along the way the protesters stopped in front of the Yerevan Pedagogical University whose head of trustees is Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and encouraged students to join the protest. However, the students did not respond to the call.

The students protesting against the increase of tuition fees submitted their written requests to the PM.

We recall that Yerevan Pedagogical University is the only university where the tuition fee was not increased for the current academic year.

Chanting "Government, answer", the students stood for about 30 minutes in front of the government building, demanding the PM to come down. Around 14:00 a government employee came out and the students delivered a letter to him.

The students decided to hold the next protest on Sept. 5 at 12:00 in front of the presidential residence.