Avinyan Transitions from Urban Failures to Academic Flights: Numbers from ‘Zhoghovurd’

Yerevan Mayor and Acting Chairman of the Polytechnic University Board Tigran Avinyan boasted on August 28 of this year that there had been a significant salary increase for the third time at the Polytechnic in the last four years. This was reported by the newspaper ‘Zhoghovurd’.

“The statistics are astonishing, even for experienced mathematicians—108%, 15%, 14%, and 13%. It seems the percentages will not stop if he declares next time with the same enthusiasm that ‘the salaries of the professor-teaching staff have increased again, this time… by celestial degrees.’

What connection does he have with salary increases or the university's management processes if he cannot properly fulfill his duties? It seems that Tigran Avinyan has also been captivated by the magic of numbers. The Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan has long demonstrated that numerical ‘nonsense’ is his favorite sport. Now, the mayor seems to have decided not to fall behind in this race.

However, there is one ‘small’ problem. The mayoral position carries both responsibilities and accountability. It seems that Avinyan remembers his duties only when the issue is already at an insolvable dead end. For instance, under his leadership, the Yerevan community has over 14 billion drams in debt. The level of property tax collection is in a tragic state. The management of the urban economy has been a disgraceful failure; the facts are numerous.

Yet, Mayor Avinyan has ‘forgotten’ about his fundamental responsibilities and has enthusiastically entered the academic field. All that remains is for him to present impressive numbers, such as how, during his tenure, the potholes in Yerevan streets have increased by 200%, or how the city’s debts have doubled ‘for the advancement of Yerevan residents,’” the newspaper reports.