The meeting of Education Ministers was held within the framework of UNESCO General Conference

On November 4, the high-level meeting of Education Ministers was held within the framework of the 38th session of UNESCO General Conference. During the meeting, they touched on the issue of educational development and adopted the draft budget for next year.

Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Education, who represented our country at the event, touched upon the Incheon Declaration in his speech and said that it was an important step in the process of international cooperation in the field of educational development. He also noted that it was necessary to consolidate efforts in the field of education for sustainable development. The adoption of "Education - 2030 Action Plan" shows that the successful joint efforts will be applied.

M.Jabbarov mentioned that such steps once again clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of UNESCO and he emphasized the importance of finding innovative ways, with new enthusiasm. He mentioned that the educational development was the best tool in the fight against poverty and extremism and the key to solving many problems facing humanity.

Emphasizing that active steps are being taken to implement the new reforms in the field of education in our country, Mikayil Jabbarov noted that the "National Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan" was the first document signed by President Ilham Aliyev after he was re-elected in October, 2013. Noting that the Action Plan of the Strategy is implemented, the Minister spoke about the work done in order to implement the programs on the development of children in accordance with the efficient education model. In his speech, the Minister touched on the issue of reading, writing and teaching, as well as the issue of implementation of inclusive education.

The Minister said that despite the difficult situation resulting from continuous occupation of our territories by Armenian armed forces, the government of Azerbaijan invested a huge amount of money in the education sector and about 70 percent of schools was overhauled and rebuilt in the country. He also underlined that over the last ten years, hundreds of schools were constructed in order to ensure the right to education for the children of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). These facts and figures show that the main objective of the Azerbaijani state is to create the best educational environment for its citizens.

At the end of his speech, Mikayil Jabbarov said, "A child uneducated is a child lost. To lose a child is to lose the future," and once again emphasized the importance of education.

It should be noted that the opinion ("A child uneducated is a child lost. To lose a child is to lose the future"), which Mikayil Jabbarov expressed in his speech, was shared on the Twitter page of UNESCO.