Government seeks to take over three public universities

The Armenian government is continuing its efforts to gain direct control of three of the country’s leading state universities two weeks after President Armen Sarkissian blocked a relevant bill pushed by it through the parliament, reports Asbarez.

The bill passed by the National Assembly in late March would empower the government to appoint most members of the boards of trustees that elect university rectors and make other key decisions.

Yerevan State University and the National Academy of Sciences strongly opposed these changes, saying that they would violate a clause in the Armenian constitution which entitles state-funded colleges to a high degree of autonomy. Sarkissian likewise suggested that they are “contentious in terms of constitutionality” when he announced on 22 April his decision not to sign the bill into law. He also asked the Constitutional Court to rule on its conformity with the constitution. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government pressed ahead with the same changes through an executive order issued earlier this month.
Full report on the Asbarez site