Parents of Karabakh refugee schoolchildren say school year expenses are unaffordable
To buy school supplies, parents, especially those from large families of Karabakh refugees, had to borrow money or use money set aside to pay rent. Activists from the organization "In the Name of Artsakh" have so far been able to deliver aid to 343 students; a total of 17,000 children of displaced persons attend school.
As "Kavkazsky Uzel wrote, more than 10,000 children from Karabakh refugee families need school supplies before the school year; Karabakh activists have announced a collection of aid. After the cancellation of the "40 + 10" program, refugees are forced to save a lot, including on purchases for schoolchildren.
The "40 + 10" program was in effect for Karabakh refugees in Armenia, according to which 40 thousand drams (about $ 103) were allocated to each refugee for rent and 10 thousand (about $ 25.8) for utility bills. From April 2025, it was decided not to extend this program to people of working age, but to leave only payments of 30 thousand drams for children under 18, people with disabilities and pensioners. The number of applications from refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh wishing to receive Armenian citizenship has increased several times in recent months, the Migration and Citizenship Service of Armenia reported. It is necessary to change passports not only for the sake of the housing program, but also for employment, the displaced persons stated.
P noted that within the framework of the announced collection of aid, it was possible to provide 343 children, mainly from large families, with stationery and clothing, the chairperson of the NGO "In the Name of Artsakh (Artsakh is the self-name of Nagorno-Karabakh - note of the "Caucasian Knot")" Saida Poghosyan told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".
According to her, the collection will also continue in September, since many children still need notebooks, pens and drawing accessories.
According to the Ministry of Education of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Karabakh More than 20 thousand children studied in schools, up to 1500 teachers worked. In Armenia, more than 17 thousand children attend schools, 1160 children, forcibly displaced from Artsakh, study in colleges, more than 2065 students from Nagorno-Karabakh study in universities. In Yerevan, about five thousand Karabakh children study in schools, in the Kotayk region - up to three thousand, then in the Ararat region - more than 2 thousand. In the Tavush and Syunik regions bordering Azerbaijan, there are up to 500 and 600 children, respectively.
The number of Karabakh schoolchildren in Armenia has decreased because thousands of families have left Armenia - more than 16,500 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh left Armenia irrevocably from September 2023 to August 1, 2025, noted former Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan.
"Many children left with their parents. Also, there are families that, due to social problems, did not send their children to high school - after the 9th grade, they go to work. In general, social problems affect all families of internally displaced persons from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), "- Beglaryan said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
He noted that the initiative of the NGO "In the Name of Artsakh" to provide assistance to the families of schoolchildren is the only one of its kind.
"There are several international organizations that implement educational programs for older children, providing quality education during the school year. About two dozen high school students study under them," Artak Beglaryan informed.
Refugees from Karabakh spoke about the difficulties in purchasing school supplies.
"All children want to go to school on September 1 in new clothes, with a beautiful backpack. Unfortunately, we cannot afford it. There are difficulties with work. We live in an old house. We cannot even buy the necessary household appliances. Therefore, the children are not ready for school. “We can’t even buy the most essential things,” the mother of three children, one of whom is a group 3 disabled person, told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent Kristina Tandilyan.
Since the beginning of summer, the mother of four children Marianna Gurgenyan has started buying school supplies if they come across them at a discount. "By saving a lot, we were able to buy clothes for the younger ones, big enough for them. But that's not what we wanted for our children. In Artsakh, we had a job, a stable income. In Armenia, we had part-time jobs. I don't know what awaits us, social problems are growing every month, but my husband and I want our children to have a decent life and get a normal education," the woman told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Narine Sargsyan, a mother of two schoolchildren, said that a minimum of 50-70 thousand drams (130-180 US dollars) is needed for each child to go to school. "We bought clothes and shoes, but we didn't have enough for a backpack and school supplies, which every first-grader needs. We hoped that some fund would help, as it did in Nagorno-Karabakh. But no one helped. We'll have to take money from the money we've put aside to rent an apartment. We hope the owner of the apartment will understand and give us a deferment," the woman said.
Anush Gabrielyan has five children, four of whom are school age. The youngest will go to first grade. She said that she goes to stores where there are cheap goods to find what she needs for school. According to their calculations, to get the children ready for school by September 1, they will spend at least 200 thousand drams (about 520 US dollars), which they do not have.
“We borrowed from friends. We buy everything cheap, and only what is necessary. We understand that these are low-quality goods, but there is no other way. I hope that the children understand everything, will at least take good care of their clothes and shoes,” the woman hopes.