There are serious problems related to ensuring sanitary and hygienic conditions. unannounced visit to Yerevan Music School No. 13

2024-01-03 14:37:16

On December 21, 2023, the representatives of the Human Rights Defender conducted an unannounced monitoring visit to “Yerevan Musical Special School No. 13” of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia (hereinafter referred to as the School).

According to the decision of the Government No. 2179 of December 26, 2002 and the School Charter, the object and purpose of the institution’s activity is the implementation of activities of an educational nature, ensuring the mandatory minimum assimilation of the content of general education and special general education, including music programs, by children who need special educational conditions. , as well as the provision of care and protection of children who need special educational conditions.

During the unannounced visit, the teaching and educational processes were observed, the School’s territory, sanitary and communal facilities, child care, medical care, catering, employees, children’s rights and fundamental freedoms and their compliance with the established requirements and applicable standards were studied.

The defender’s representatives recorded a number of problems, some of which are systemic and require urgent solutions.

In particular, it was recorded:

– The buildings attached to the school are in a bad condition, the bathrooms are old, some are broken, most of the furniture is worn out, some beds are also broken. Some classroom windows are barred.

– Building conditions are not accessible for people with disabilities. there are no ramps, handrails, special tactile and signal markings, etc.

– There are serious problems related to ensuring sanitary and hygienic conditions in the school. it is not provided with shower cubicles, hot water in such conditions that most of the children spend 4 nights in the week at the School.

– The necessary living space for personal space is not preserved. the rooms have beds that are connected to each other or placed very close together. Sideboards are mostly absent in the bedrooms. Moreover, after the end of the school year, the children do not have the opportunity to rest in their bedrooms until late in the evening and have to wait in different parts of the school until it is time to move to their bedrooms.

– The ability to independently satisfy the narrow personal demands and needs of children, including personal hygiene, in isolated conditions is not ensured. For example, most bathroom doors do not close from the inside.

– Necessary and development conditions corresponding to the characteristics of children’s age groups are not provided. In addition, according to the information presented to the Defender’s representatives, the area of ​​the playground belonging to the School was expropriated.

– Apparent violations of sanitary norms were recorded in the canteen and kitchen. the premises and the clothes of the persons working in the kitchen were dirty, sanitary (medical) booklets were missing.

– The school is not provided with the conditions and possibility of organizing additional meals for children.

– There are problems related to the provision of medical care and services. there was no medical worker for the round-the-clock shift. According to the information presented to the representatives of the Defender, the duties of a medical worker at night are actually performed by one of the employees of the School, who also has the relevant specialization, but is not registered as a medical worker.

– There is a lack of employee resources.

– Due to the lack of types of musical instruments available in the school compared to the number of children, some children sometimes do not have the opportunity to choose the instrument of their choice.

– There is an apparent inconsistency between the goals defined by the School’s charter and the actual activities of the School, etc.

The defender’s representatives discussed the recorded problems with the director of the school. The latter presented to the representatives of the HRD the measures taken to solve the problems, including the works being carried out in the direction of changing the school’s charter.

The results of the unannounced monitoring visit, including the systemic problems repeatedly raised by the Defender, will be summarized, and the document and recommendations reflecting them will be submitted to the relevant authorities in the near future.

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