YEREVAN. – Over 37,000 first-graders are expected in Armenia in the 2013/14 school year, Zhamanak daily reports. 

“According to Artur Baghdasaryan, Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Education and Science, a certain amount is planned from the [state] budget for each [elementary school] student.   

“The actual number of the first-graders [for this year] will be clear on September 20.

“As a result of a small study conducted by Zhamanak, it turned out that 24,840-60,320 drams [approx. $60-$148; this includes school uniforms, notebooks, and writing materials] are needed to send each first-grader to school [on September 1].

“To note, all textbooks are provided to elementary schools [in Armenia] free of charge,” Zhamanak writes.