Defense Ministry advisor accused of beating child
"One cannot simply tolerate similar behavior by a public servant," reads the letter addressed to media outlets.
A Facebook user has accused Gegham Harutyunyan, a teacher of the History of the Armenian People and a Defense Ministry advisor, of breaking a schoolchild's nose at Yerevan Secondary School #135.
The Defense Ministry advisor was caught unawares on arriving at work after the holidays; he was accused of beating a 9th grade student and breaking his nose.
"It was an unsealed and unsigned letter which could in the same way bear the name of Poghos Poghosyan or some other public figure instead of mine," Gegham Haurutyunyan told A1+.
The author claimed in the letter that Haurutyunyan had beaten the student in late December, during the last lessons.
The accusation is mean and fabricated. The entire story is the result of an ill mind. If these people really accuse me of beating a schoolchild, let them show up and take me to court," said indignant Harutyunyan.
The Facebook user introduced herself as a parent whose child studies in the same class and who is concerned over the fate of her child. Further she said the school principal was aware of the incident but preferred to keep silent ‘for fear of losing an influential partner.'
Talking to A1+ the school principal Gagik Stepanyan dismissed the report, excluding cases of violence at his school.
"Pedagogy and violence are two different things. This is a blatant lie. No one was beaten. I have clarified the information and I still cannot understand the pretext," he said.
To prove his words, he accompanied us to the class where Gegham Harutyunyan was teaching History.
This is the first time I have heard such news. Our teachers are well-disposed to us," said 14-year-old James Gasparyan.
The Ministry of Education and Science also confirmed that the contents of the letter did not correspond to the reality.
"It was an anonymous letter and is not worth discussing," said Narine Hovhannisyan, Head of the General Education Department at the Ministry for Education and Science.
