Perhaps the issue of appointing a new principal in the Panos Terlemezyan art college would not have been that remarkable if it didn’t turn out that the internal environment of this school brought about certain inter-family and inter-party collisions.
Currently, the former principal of the college, Samvel Petrosyan, had to yield his position to his nephew, Narek Arushanyan, as it was the wish of his sister, NA Deputy and ARF member Alvard Petrosyan, and Levon Mkrtchyan, Minister of Education of RA. “I knew that I was going to quit my position once I turned 65. I was ready for that but wanted to leave in September after the reconstruction of the school building. I have been supervising it. The Prime-Minister promised that I’d stay till the reconstruction was completed,” said Petrosyan when talking to us. He thinks that “he was just used and kicked out” from the college, which he had served for many years, and that it was done by his own sister in a predetermined and illegal way. “Back last year Narek was telling all the painters in Shorja that soon he was going to be appointed principal of the school. He was threatening to fire some painters and was promising others to hire or promote them. But I didn’t want to believe that he or his mother would do that. I thought those were just empty conversations,” says Petrosyan. He was sure that it wouldn’t happen as he knew his nephew, Narek Arushanyan, very well, and didn’t want to believe that his sister would “stab” him from behind or “vilify” his reputation. “What I want is not to be the principal of the school forever. I am leaving anyway. I just want to leave the college in trusted hands. And Narek doesn’t have any pedagogical experience. He cannot paint and is not able to work with the staff,” says Petrosyan.
Narek Arushanyan, 34, is an unknown and untalented painter. He specializes in art design, and in the opinion of many of his colleagues is not able to direct the school. “Till now when speaking of something he always repeats “my mom says so” or “my mother saved the college”. The mother trains Narek, teaches him how to talk, what slogans to use. Once he’s appointed principal his mother will probably go and sit next to him and teach him how to work,” said Petrosyan. The Ministry of Education of RA doesn’t see any problem with this story. They just refuse to prolong a contract with S. Petrosyan and instead wish to appoint a new principal. Petrosyan thinks that the deputy-director of the college should have been appointed school principal. Petrosyan is quite well aware of Narek’s abilities, because there was the time when his sister asked him to hire Narek and he tried to teach him how to paint but without result. “My son, Bardugh, refused to work as a lecturer in my school in order not to be called “the principal’s son”.”
Petrosyan calls this a “detective” story and doesn’t tend to blame Minister Mkrtchyan about what happened. “Alvard is trying to push her son to the principal’s positions by violating the provisions of the law and the minister obeyed her as well. Poor minister… How could he avoid Alvard if she is doing her best to push his son into my place?” says Petrosyan. “I don’t want the college to become a Dashnak shooting range. That college has never been part of any political party. Here they only teach painting,” he says. I don’t think the Minister finds Arushanyan the best candidate for the college principal. He just supports Alvard because they are from the same party. Besides that the motherly love of Alvard Petrosyan has taken her above the ministerial level. It’s known that she had a private talk with the first lady of Armenia and ascertained the position of her son. S. Petrosyan is sure that the zealous efforts of his sister are only marring the reputation of the party and first of all Narek. He is sorry that as a result of this appointment neither Narek nor his father, actor Lorents Arushanyan, will benefit. “Lorents is the father of Alvard’s family. So he could at least partly advise that this appointment will harm their own son. Yeah, they don’t care about me. But they should care about their son. Alvard has always been jealous of me because I have talented children but her son is untalented,” says Petrosyan.
Samvel Petrosyan’s daughter, the famous singer Shushan Petrosyan, is sorry about this whole family scene. “The sorrowful thing is that my father only accidentally found out about his dismissal. This was done behind his back in a most offensive way,” she says. Alvard Petrosyan tries to stay away from commenting about this story because she doesn’t have much to speak about. How about the question – “What if she some day wants to see her son occupying the seat of an NA Deputy?” Yesterday we were not able to contact Alvard Petrosyan.
P.S. When this story was in its embryo stage almost all the painters were calling it a staged scandal. One painter said, “We thought that brother and sister were making a story in order to maintain the chair of the principal of the college within the family. But see what happened?” A very unpleasant story has started and marred the reputation of some good people.