Pre-school classes were launched for 5-year-old children at general schools on October 3. Under the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated July 11 2016, pre-school groups set up at general secondary schools across the country enroll children who turn five in the academic year. Funded by the government, pre-school education groups function in all cities and districts of the country. Classes in pre-school education groups are conducted by experienced and qualified secondary school teachers. According to 2016-2017 academic year plan of pre-school groups, classes will be conducted four times a week (12 hours). This includes three 30-minute classes a day, with a 10-minute break between classes. Pre-school education program features classes on natural world, preparation for literacy training and development of speaking skills, development of literary thinking, development of logical and mathematical thinking, expressive activity, musical and physical culture. The academic year in pre-school groups is comprised of two parts, ending on May 31.

04/10/2016 14:03

“A pupil`s friend” pilot project featured the test for applicants on October 2. An hour-and-a-half exam saw applicants respond to 50 questions, including on history, geography and culture of Azerbaijan, and logical thinking abilities. Selected applicants will qualify for the interview, where preference will be given to those involved in public and volunteering activity, and those having foreign language skills. Those who successfully pass the interview stage will be involved in trainings. Winners will be defined based on overall results, and the successful applicants will be appointed “A pupil`s friend”. “A pupil`s friend” shall build a safe environment for teachers and pupils, provide first medical and psychological aid for them, educate and carry out diagnostic work for pupils, parents, teachers, staff and management of education and training institutions. “A pupil`s friend” shall also contribute to improving children`s personal qualities and ensuring their intellectual development, and encouraging their self-education and self-development skills. “A pupil`s friend” is a joint project of the Ministry of Education and the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The project will initially be implemented in 30 general schools, with the scale of the project to be expanded in the future.

04/10/2016 14:01

  Uppsala University, Sweden, hosts an international conference, which aims to improve doctoral studies in Azerbaijan in line with European standards. The conference is part of the European Commission`s Erasmus+ Capacity Building project Nizami, launched in December, 2015. The project is coordinated by the University of Montpellier. Nine Azerbaijani universities and four European universities take part in the conference together with the partners – the Ministry of Education and National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan – to discuss what has been done since the launch of the project and to define a future action plan. The Ministry of Education is represented by employees of the Department of Science, Higher and Secondary Education Sulhaddin Gozalov and Vusale Qurbanova. On the first day of the conference the ministry`s employees made a presentation on the establishment, rules of organizing and the current status of doctoral studies in Azerbaijan. The conference also featured discussion on the organization of doctoral studies in Europe compared with that in Azerbaijan. The conference also heard reports from European and Azerbaijani partners on internationalization of doctoral studies and their improvement in line with European standards.

28/09/2016 14:06

The 10th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Education Exhibition, the only event in the field of education in Azerbaijan, will be held from October 7-9 at the Baku Expo Center. The exhibition is organized with the support and participation of the Ministry of Education. This year, representatives of universities, colleges and other educational institutions from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, and other countries will introduce their educational programs to visitors of the exhibition. The exhibition will present bachelor`s, master`s and postgraduate programs, including second higher education and MBA courses, foreign language for business courses, internships and training sessions. Visitors will have the opportunity to speak to representatives of leading higher education institutions to learn about the application process, best ways of preparing for it, the timescales for supplying documents, the price of education, the ranking of institutions and subjects, and many other issues. Entry to the exhibition will be open for 9th and 10th grade students, as well as their parents, applicants, students, principals, university rectors, economic affairs vice-principals and other industry professionals. Online registration for the education is available at http://eduexpo.az/2016/?p=visitors_fast_register. Special shuttle buses from Koroglu metro station will take visitors to and from the exhibition venue on a regular basis. More detailed information on the education exhibition is available at http://eduexpo.az/2016/.

28/09/2016 14:05

The head of state first cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the school. President Ilham Aliyev was informed that the two-storey school building, whose construction started last December, occupies a total area of 1,000 square metres. The school was supplied with a state-of the-art equipment. The school has a total enrollment of 550-600 pupils in 25 groups. They are served by 25 teachers. President Ilham Aliyev viewed the conditions created at the Chess School.   www.president.az

28/09/2016 12:50

On September 24, Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov met with Azerbaijani athletes – graduates of sport schools of the Ministry of Education – who succeeded at Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Mikayil Jabbarov congratulated the Olympians, and said Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games were a success for the Azerbaijani team. At Rio 2016, Azerbaijan claimed a total of 18 medals, including one gold, 7 silvers and 10 bronzes. At the Rio Paralympic Games in Rio, Azerbaijan grabbed 1 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze medals. The minister said three of Azerbaijani Olympians who won medals in Rio are graduates of children`s and youth sports schools of the Ministry of Education. Mikayil Jabbarov said more than 3,000 schools have been built in Azerbaijan in the past 13 years, with an emphasis on the effective use of sports infrastructure in these schools.   Silver and bronze medal winners of Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, graduate of Ganja branch of Tahsil Sport Complex Togrul Asgarov, graduate of Absheron District Children`s and Youth Sport School of the Ministry of Education Haji Aliyev, winner of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, graduate of Ganja city Children`s and Youth Sport School No 1 Ramil Gasimov thanked the minister for the invitation. They said they will continue doing their utmost to make greater accomplishments. Mikayil Jabbarov presented the athletes with certificates of appreciation and gifts.

28/09/2016 12:44

In accordance with a timetable of reception hours of government executives, Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov received residents of Ujar, Zardab, Goychay and Agjabadi districts at the Heydar Aliyev Center in the city of Zardab on September 23. The issues raised by citizens at the reception included recruitment and transfer of teachers from one school (district) to another, reinstatement, recognition of academic degree certificates, transfer of students from one higher education institution to another, tuition fees, and etc. Forty-two citizens submitted their requests at the reception, and the majority of these requests were immediately dealt with. Minister Mikayil Jabbarov instructed relevant bodies of the Ministry of Education to deal with several other requests. Some requests, which were out of the Ministry`s area of competence, and personal requests, will be brought to the notice of relevant authorities.

27/09/2016 12:23

  Thirteen draft electronic books have been uploaded on www.e-resurs.edu.az electronic textbook portal of the Ministry of Education, bringing the total number of draft textbooks available on the website to 156.  The new uploads include “Natural history” textbook for 5th grade and “Biology”, “Geography”, “Informatics”, “Fine arts”, “Physics”,  and “General history” textbooks for 9th grades of Azerbaijani and Russian sections. New textbooks and methodological handbooks for teachers will be uploaded on the portal in the next few months.   A total of 93,342 people have registered on the electronic textbook portal so far. Textbooks and methodological handbooks on the website have been reviewed more than 1,052,000 times. Between 2,500-4,000 people visit the resource on a daily basis. The first three quarters of 2016 saw 258,808 people use the website, a three-time growth compared to 2015, when the figure was 91,968. Launched in 2014, the portal aims to expand the involvement of pupils and students in the education process and provide them with the opportunity to effectively use ICT and read electronic textbooks. The website allows to review methodological handbooks for teachers through using a special filter.

27/09/2016 12:23

The Ministry of Education and BP announced a new partnership as they launched “Development of New Occupations in Agricultural Vocational Education” project on September 22. Participants in the ceremony included Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Carole Crofts, BP’s Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gordon Birrell and British Council Azerbaijan Country Director Elizabeth White. In his remarks, Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said global political and economic processes necessitate the improvement of competitiveness of the country`s economy. “President Ilham Aliyev set a number of priorities for us including ensuring comprehensive development of export-oriented non-oil economy and effective use of human capital.” “Guided by these priorities, the Ministry of Education has such major tasks as meeting the economy`s demand in highly-skilled specialists and building a vocational education system able to flexibly respond to new economic challenges.” Mikayil Jabbarov said the “State Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan” set the development of vocational education as one of the key priorities. “Thanks to the President`s attention to this sector the State Agency for Vocational Education was established under the Ministry of Education with the aim of raising the efficiency of vocational training and preparing competitive specialists for the country`s economy.” The minister mentioned the opening of IT STEP Academy, which was attended by President Ilham Aliyev last week. He said the academy was the first vocational education institution in Azerbaijan established based on the labor market demands and public-private partnership mechanism. Mikayil Jabbarov also highlighted world practice of developing vocational education. The minister said the project is aimed at 36 per cent of the country`s employed population, and expressed his confidence that it will contribute to the development of agriculture, which, he described as “one of the most important areas of our economy”. British Ambassador Carole Crofts, BP’s Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gordon Birrell and British Council Azerbaijan Country Director Elizabeth White said they believe the project will help develop human capital and build a quality labor market in Azerbaijan.

23/09/2016 13:08

The Institute for Professional Development of Education Workers will launch “Principals` Club” on September 28. The project aims to ensure continuous professional development of school principals, update them on novelties, provide professional advice, conduct trainings and seminars, study and apply the best local and global experience. Those who wish to attend the presentation of “Principals` Club” can register at http://bit.ly/2d7AQ2E. Invitations will be emailed to the school principals who applied to join the event.  

21/09/2016 14:53