By Arshaluys Barseghyan
YEREVAN (OC-Media) — The Armenian authorities have revealed that the Learning is Trendy education campaign founded by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, has been funded by the state — an initiative critics say is part of a pre-election strategy.
Learning is Trendy is a series of talks mimicking Ted Talks, which was created by Hakobyan as part of the movement bearing the same name, launched in November 2024. The talks have been held since March by Hakobyan’s My Step Foundation, with Pashinyan frequently featuring as a guest speaker in events across the country.
On Friday, June 6, Pashinyan’s Chief of Staff, Arayik Harutyunyan, revealed that the campaign was being funded from the state budget, adding that it was a “priority program” for Pashinyan.
Harutyunyan did not provide details on how much money had been allocated to the program since its launch months ago.
RFE/RL reported that the authorities had told them that only events involving the prime minister had been financed by the Prime Minister’s Office. They added that Pashinyan had participated in ‘almost all major meetings of this campaign, sometimes even during working hours, delivering speeches and answering questions’.
