On April 3, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized the country’s human resources crisis and education system during a Cabinet meeting, defending his government’s personnel policy against long-standing criticism.

Pashinyan stated that for the past seven years, his administration has faced constant accusations of pursuing a poor personnel policy. He argued that the real issue lies in a systemic human resources crisis, rooted in the dire state of Armenia’s educational infrastructure. "In a country where over 70% of settlements have no kindergartens and more than 70% of schools are physically and substantively half-destroyed, a personnel famine is inevitable," the prime minister emphasized.

Addressing the military, Pashinyan noted that whenever problems arise in the armed forces, public criticism is immediately directed at the Defense Ministry. However, he asserted that the root causes of these problems originate not in the army but in broader civilian life. "It’s too late to fix things in the army; we need to start in kindergartens, schools, and universities," he said, stressing the need for early psychological and emotional development. According to him, children are leaving school and entering adult life unprepared and psychologically weak.

Pashinyan also voiced frustration over the quality of communication he receives from citizens. He shared that he regularly gets job requests riddled with spelling mistakes. "I look at a four-sentence text, and there are 17 spelling errors," he said, recalling one case where he responded to the sender, urging them to proofread their message. The individual replied indignantly, attaching their diploma to prove they were educated. "Just don’t think that I’m exaggerating—whoever wants, I’ll show you," Pashinyan added.