Authorities treat reopening schools in Berdzor and two villages as premature

It will make sense to resume the work of schools and a kindergarten for the children of Berdzor, Agavno and Sus only after local residents' return to these dwelling settlements, the Nagorno-Karabakh's Ministry of Education has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 1, the Azerbaijani Army took control over the Lachin (the Armenian name is Kashatag) District, with the exception of the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Some residents of the Russian-controlled city of Berdzor (the Azeri name is Lachin) and the villages of Agavno (the Azeri name is Zabukh) and Sus have decided to stay there, but do not feel safe due to unclear living conditions.

The resumption of the work of the school and preschool institutions in Berdzor, Agavno and Sus depends on how many residents will return to their residences, Lusine Karakhanyan, the Minister of Education of Nagorno-Karabakh, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The communities of Agavno and Sus have one school each, in Berdzor there are two schools and one kindergarten. "Since the residents of these three communities are in uncertainty, the reopening of schools is impractical. The timing depends on the return of people to their homes," the minister has explained.

Before the war, about 2200 people lived in Berdzor; now, there are about 100 of them there, mostly men, Narek Alexanyan, the Berdzor Mayor, told the "Caucasian Knot". More than 300 people lived in the village of Agavno before September 27. "Now about 60 people live in the village," said Andranik Chavushyan, the head of the Agavno community.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 10, 2020 at 08:39 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.