For Immediate Release ~ September 15, 2011
Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund has begun constructing a school in Ashotsk, a village in Armenia’s Shirak Region. The project is sponsored by the fund’s French affiliate.
The future campus will consist of four wings: two buildings for classrooms and administrative offices; a gym; and a structure which will house an events hall. The site will also feature a sizeable playground. Designed to accommodate up to 360 students, the school will be equipped with central heating and air conditioning.
With earthwork completed and the foundations laid, currently crews are building the school’s reinforced-concrete columns.
The community’s existing school was built in the 1970s, when Ashotsk was an industrial center. Accordingly the town boasted a 5,000-square-meter campus, large enough for over 1,000 students. In time, however, Ashotsk saw a steady decline population numbers while the old campus, which lacks central heating, fell into disrepair. Today the student population of Ashotsk stands at a little less than 300.
“Education has always been a top priority for Ashotsk,” said Hamik Khachatryan, the school’s principal. “As a rule, some 90 percent of our graduates continue their studies at colleges and universities in Gyumri or Yerevan. I am confident that this trend will only grow following the construction of our new school, as the modern and well-appointed facility will certainly inspire our students to value knowledge and learning.”
“With our continued support of school-building and –renovation projects throughout the regions of Armenia and Artsakh, we hope to help prepare a highly educated generation, one which will be entrusted with the further development of our homeland,” said Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.
