Science is an elite employment.

Within last two weeks periodically student’s protest actions – processions, the meetings directed against the decision made by the government on March 18 and on April 22, according to which in 2010-2011 educational year in postgraduates and magistracies the quantity of places with the right of postponement for passage of obligatory military service is reduced. Protest meetings are planned and the following weeks. One of the organizers of the action, Daniel Ionnesyan says, that they will struggle until to achieve a result.

If in the last educational year in a magistracy it has been allocated 450 free places with the right of postponement and 239 paid places with the same right, this year such 350 places have been allocated.

For postgraduates this year 122 places have been allocated for the stationary training with the right of postponement, and for correspondence course – 247 places while last year there were 224 and 145 accordingly.

The first-year student of the magistracy of the faculty of physics Daniel considers, that the decision of the government will negatively influence on science, which in its turn will negatively influence on other fields – economy, agriculture and others. He mentions, that the decision is directed against the corruption in high schools, however the struggle against corruption should not become a struggle against science. “It is possible to solve a problem of a sick finger having chopped off a hand, however this isn’t a correct decision”, – he says.

The leader of “The new national conservative movement” and the organizer of protest action Edward Apramyan considers, that the reduction of postgraduate places contradicts interests of science: “Today many people are anxious by the shortage of young experts, however thus such conditions are created that this shortage has been never filled.” As he said, it is more preferable to have one brilliant expert in atomic engineering who can solve further more important problems of safety, than one more marksman.

The student of the Spanish department of Romano-German faculty Sos Avetisyan also considers the reduction of places unreasonable. “We wish to live in the country where the education is the most important”, he explains his participation in student’s protest actions.

The student of a third year of faculty of physics Aram is also against the decision of the government which is released from military service for health reasons. As he said, he struggles for that “the science in Armenia definitively will not collapse”.

However, the chief of the department of the higher and posthigh school specialized education of the Ministry of the Education and Science Robert Sukiasyan assures, that this decision of the government essentially will not influence on scientific and pedagogical shots. According to him after passage of military service will enter the postgraduate study and a magistracy those who really wishes to continue study and to be engaged in scientific and pedagogical activity, and continuation of study for those who does it only to avoid service in army, already becomes senseless. According to Sukiasyan, the reduction of places is caused by a number of the reasons. So, from the facts of last year it has appeared, that 10-12 % of postgraduate places remind unoccupied, and the reduction has been spent at the expense of these places. Besides, places in postgraduates, provided by the international contracts are not considered in their total. “If to look at statistics of distribution of free places in postgraduates it appears, that 90 % are boys. Sometimes postgraduate considers as the means of evasion from service in army. This decision will promote that places in postgraduates were occupied with the best students”, – says Sukiasyan.

And the reduction of places of magistracy Sukiasyan explains as the interests of the state. “Having analyzed prime directions which we should consider for establishing the quantity of places of the state order, we have preferred directions of natural science, armenianlogy, agriculture, culture. We have not provided the state order for those modern professions which have no great demand and importance for the state”, – says Sukiasyan, adding, that those who wish to specialize in these areas, can get education on a paid basis.

The rector of the State University of Yerevan Aram Simonyan agrees with the decision of the government. “If it starts with interests of the country we should obey, – he says, – there aren’t enough postgraduate places and we are interested in accepting only the best. Post-graduate students in the future will fill teaching stuff, and unworthy ones further can become a punishment for all.”

According to the rector of the State University of Yerevan, science is an elite employment, and it is not for all: let scientists be few, but with high quality.