With the February 1988 Artsakh movement we did not begin living in a different society, we saw what a society, social movement meant… Everything, even the seemingly steadfast Bolshevik regime, began to vibrate … Of course, Ashots’ school, already famous before Artsakh movement, appeared in the first line of thriving events of the movement. The movement took Ashot Manoucharyan to Theatre Square and made our well-known speech maker a member of the Gharabagh Committee. Our teacher of Social science and History Samson Ghazaryan also became a member of the Gharabagh Committee, our Hrayr Uloubabyan dedicated himself to the movement and made it his job.
The school was helping with the arrangements of the first meetings with everything: with technical means of communication and technical specialists… Ashot Dabaghyan, who had been inseparable from Ashot Manoucharyan since 1980, of course was beside Ashot Manoucharyan in those dangerous and fast changing period of time, though not on the Opera Square platform… A dozen of teachers, such as Alick, Janna, Sergey, Tigran were such kind of secret signalers… The Shahumyan Regional Committee of the Communist Party with its energetic first secretary (Rouben Tovmasyan), who had announced that he would dismiss me from work with great pleasure from the very first day of his and my appointment (since 1985), was calling or visiting us every day…
“Is it true that Ashot Manoucharyan doesn’t come to work”?
“You don’t say so! He was conducting an undertaking with our junior learners a short time ago. How can we manage without Ashot Manoucharyan?”
Another telephone call a few minutes later…
“Is it true that Samson Ghazaryan…?”
“Yes, Samson is our most conscientious teacher; always next to the learners…”
Before the movement the organization of the Soviet educational structure of three age groups at school: from six to nine – Octobrists, from ten to fourteen – Pioneers, from 14 and on – the Komsomol, was replaced by pupil autonomy, student clubs … To Rouben Tovmasyan’s consistent questions about where our Octobrists were with their badges… We were answering “In September our children are called Septemberists, in October – Octobrists, and so on in December – Decemberists…”
And in 1988 there were marches, demonstrations, protests, strikes and we had to deal with not only pedagogy, but also to develop it in this period of changes: especially taking into account the fact that we were full of school developing ideas…. We, three Ashots, clearly agreed that I would stay at school, and that I bore personal responsibility for not only maintaining but also for developing it, and Manoucharyan and Dabaghyan were to be free in their activities, continuing, of course, to officiate at school… Solidarity has always been characteristic of our school, Educomplex both in 1988-1990 and in 1998-2001, during the period of our prosecution it obtained public importance, so other people have seen and appreciated our solidarity….
The Gharabagh movement had stages of growth (it was easy, it was an enjoyment) and retreat (a period of prosecution, danger)…