Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan got acquainted with the construction of Basic School N7 in Vanadzor, coordinated by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development and the Armenian Territorial Development Fund. The school is being built under the Seismic Safety Improvement Program as implemented by the Government of Armenia and the Asian Development Bank. Boasting modern engineering approaches, the seismic-resistant school will meet the best international standards. It will serve as a shelter for the local population in case of natural disasters.

The Premier was told that the construction activities will be completed by this May. The educational institution will be supplied with modern equipment and technical means. Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the quality of construction, stressing that it should be kept under strict control.

The school will host two parallel streams covering 432 pupils altogether. The Prime Minister was told that the 3857 square meters-wide two-storey building shall consist of three buildings interconnected with seismic-resistant joints. The former building was dismantled after being recognized as badly damaged in the 1988 earthquake. Classes are currently being held in Technopark’s three-storey administrative building. The total cost of the project is over one billion drams.

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Reference: The Seismic Safety Improvement Program is implemented on the basis of a loan agreement between the Government of Armenia and the Asian Development Bank.

The program’s total budget is USD 107 million, of which the bank’s loan is USD 88.5 million, with the balance of USD 18.5 million to be co-funded by the state. The program’s main target is to provide safe learning environments for at least 18,900 students. 46 schools will be built in Armenia under the Seismic Safety Improvement Program.