Starting September 15, schools in Yerevan will temporarily operate on a six-day schedule for five weeks to compensate for classes that will not be held during the COP17 conference in October.
The Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport told MediaHub that the change does not mean students will have more class hours each day. Instead, Saturday classes will allow schools to complete the curriculum scheduled for the period when in-person lessons will be suspended.
According to the ministry, Yerevan schools will have no classes for two weeks during the COP17 period. One of those weeks coincides with the scheduled autumn school break, while the missed lessons from the second week will be compensated through the temporary six-day schedule beginning September 15.
“Class hours will not increase during this period. The purpose is simply to complete the curriculum предусмотрed by the educational plan,” the ministry’s press service explained.
The ministry also clarified how the COP17 period may affect universities.
The Higher Education and Science Committee has sent a circular to universities recommending that, where possible, classes be organized remotely. However, universities in Armenia are autonomous and may have activities that cannot be moved online, including examinations and other academic requirements.
For this reason, each university may decide independently how to organize its academic process during the conference period.
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) is scheduled to take place in Armenia from October 19 to October 30, 2026.
