An Azerbaijani delegation led by Minster of Education Mikayil Jabbarov is attending the 15th General Assembly Meeting of the Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (COMSTECH) in Islamabad, Pakistan. COMSTECH was established by the Third Islamic Summit of OIC held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in 1981. The President of Pakistan is chairman of COMSTECH. The core mandate of COMSTECH is to strengthen cooperation among OIC Member States in science and technology, and enhance their capabilities through training in emerging areas, undertake follow-up-actions and implementation of the resolutions of the OIC, and to draw up programs and submit proposals designed to increase the capability of the Muslim countries in science and technology. The opening session, which took place on May 31, was addressed by President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, Minister of Science and Technology Rana Tanvir Hussain, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Iyad Ameen Madani, President of the Islamic Development Bank Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al Madani, and COMSTECH Coordinator General Shaukat Hameed Khan. Delegates from more than 50 countries attended the event, with over 30 countries represented by ministers of science, technologies and education. In his address, Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov highlighted the role of science and education in Azerbaijan`s development in accordance with “Azerbaijan 2020: A look into the Future” Development Concept initiated by the Azerbaijani President. The Minister drew the audience`s attention to the government`s measures to ensure coordination of science, technology and education, and to encourage schoolchildren who have interest in science. Mikayil Jabbarov underlined the importance of the agreement on cooperation with Thomson Reuters, under which, 40 higher education institutions in Azerbaijan received access to products and services of the company. The Minister also provided an insight into the activities of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, and the country’s accomplishments in the fields of information and communication technologies and space industry. He emphasized the launch of Azerbaijan`s first national satellite into orbit in 2013. “All this is indicative of the emphasis placed by the Azerbaijani government on innovative development and modernization” Azerbaijan was elected one of the deputy co-chairs of the COMSTECH General Assembly Meeting, which testifies to the country`s increasing prestige in the world and, in particular, within OIC. In this capacity, Minister Mikayil Jabbarov chaired a plenary meeting, which considered reports and proposals submitted by specialized agencies of OIC and COMSTECH. On the sidelines of the event, the Azerbaijani delegation attended a reception hosted by the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The delegation also held meetings and consultations with representatives of other countries` ministries and specialized agencies. The 15th General Assembly Meeting of COMSTECH will wrap up on June 1.

02/06/2016 19:13

The final stage of the countrywide chess tournament was held on May 31. Organized by “Tahsil” Republican Sport Center in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the tournament aims to promote World Chess Olympiad among schoolchildren. The final stage of the tournament involved the teams that ranked first and second in the zonal stage. The tournament aims to promote chess among schoolchildren and ensure parents` active participation in the school life. Launched in April, the tournament saw participation of around 55000 schoolchildren from more than 4000 secondary schools. Each team included an 8th or lower grade schoolboy and schoolgirl, a parent and a teacher.

02/06/2016 12:48

Mass sporting events aimed at promoting Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe among schoolchildren ended. Held among Baku schoolchildren, the events were organized by “Tahsil” Republican Sport Center in partnership with the Ministry of Education and relevant sport federations. The final stage of athletics, cycling and basketball competitions took place at Baku White City boulevard from May 23-26. In athletics, school No. 92 ranked first, while Ankara lyceum and school No. 323 finished second and third respectively. In 3x3 basketball, school No. 169 became first, followed by school No. 17 and school No. 18. School No. 251 won cycling event, with school No. 29 finishing as runner-up and Education Complex No. 132-134 ranking third. The winners were awarded cups, certificates and valuable prizes by the Ministry of Education. A total of 4030 schoolchildren from 310 secondary schools in Baku participated in the sporting events. Apart from promoting Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe among schoolchildren, the events also aimed to encourage their interest in different sports, effectively organize their leisure time and maintain their physical health.

01/06/2016 14:18

The Republican Technical Creative Center of the Ministry of Education, Khatai District Executive Authority, Khatai District Branch of the New Azerbaijan Party, Shusha district department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism co-organized “Multiculturalism through children's eyes” event. The event is aimed at promoting love, friendship, unity among people, encouraging respect for traditions of other nations, and building cultural bridges among them. Participants in the event included members of the Milli Majlis, employees of the Ministry of Education, representatives of the New Azerbaijan Part, heads of Khatai and Shusha district executive authorities, representatives of embassies, and Shusha district department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Speakers at the event said multiculturalism was a way of life of the people of Azerbaijan. They said that over centuries the Azerbaijani people had made the principles of respect for other religions and cultures their way of life and contributed significantly to this process. This is why, the speakers said, President Ilham Aliyev`s declaring 2016 the Year of Multiculturalism in Azerbaijan was not a coincidence and had deep historical roots. Members of creative groups of the Republican Technical Creative Center demonstrated handiworks reflecting culture, arts and history of 20 countries as well as national clothes of different nations. The event ended with a concert featuring performance of creative groups.

01/06/2016 14:11

On May 25, Deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov and officials of the Ministry of Education met with education workers of Masalli, Jalilabad and Yardimli districts at Masalli Culture Centre. The aim of the meeting is to build relations with education workers of cities and districts of the country, to use their recommendations, proposals and initiatives in the implementation of reforms, to recommend on the current educational process and main ways of improving it. The participants of the meeting first paid tribute to national leader Heydar Aliyev and laid flowers at his statue. They then viewed an exhibition featuring handiworks of local schoolchildren and reflecting their achievements in sport, which was set up in the foyer of the Culture Centre. Participants in the meeting included heads and workers of education departments of Masalli, Yardimli and Jalilabad districts, heads and deputy heads of general and extracurricular education institutions, psychologists.  Deputy Minister Firudin Gurbanov welcomed the participants of the event and congratulated them on the upcoming Republic Day. The deputy minister spoke of the successes achieved in all spheres of the country`s life in the past 25 years, large-scale projects implemented in the regions, including in Masalli. Highlighting the reforms implemented in education, Firudin Gurbanov stressed that a number of normative documents had been accepted over the last years. “Work continues to develop new programs and textbooks in order to improve quality of education, transition to a compulsory 12-year general education is being discussed.” The deputy minister said more than 3000 schools had been built and reconstructed in Azerbaijan in the last 10 years. He added that all schoolchildren at general education institutions would have been provided with tablets until 2020. Firudin Gurbanov said that apart from teaching, great attention was paid to training and teacher-student relations in education. “Teachers bear great responsibility in this process.” “The primary goal of Azerbaijan`s education system is to raise patriotic, knowledgeable, skilled, perfect citizens, which meet requirements of the 21st century.” He also highlighted strategic priorities of upbringing, and underlined the role of extracurricular education in this area. Head of Masalli District Executive Authority Rafil Huseynov said “holding such an event in the district is praiseworthy”. He thanked the Ministry of Education for attaching particular emphasis to education of children and youth, and to instilling patriotic feelings in them. Rafil Huseynov advised local education workers to take advantage of this opportunity. Head of Masalli District Education Department Astan Ibishov, head of Jalilabad District Education Department Elminaz Nadirova, head of Yardimli District Education Department Manaf Samadzade, principal of “Dafina” lyceum in the city of Masalli Taleh Akbarov and other speakers highlighted work done in the fields of teaching and training in general secondary schools, and proposed ways of solving the existing problems. Then education workers shared their views and posed questions to speakers.

31/05/2016 09:24

Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov received residents of Absheron, Gubadli, Zangilan districts and the city of Sumgayit at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Khirdalan on May 26. IDPs with temporary residence in Absheron district and Sumgayit also attended the reception, which took place in accordance with May 2016 timetable of reception hours of government executives. The issues raised by citizens at the reception included recruitment and transfer of teachers, reinstatement, recognition of academic degree certificates, transfer of students in higher education institutions, tuition fees, etc. The majority of citizens` 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, would be brought to the notice of relevant authorities.

27/05/2016 16:56

Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov received residents of Absheron, Gubadli, Zangilan districts and the city of Sumgayit at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Khirdalan on May 26. IDPs with temporary residence in Absheron district and Sumgayit also attended the reception, which took place in accordance with May 2016 timetable of reception hours of government executives. The issues raised by citizens at the reception included recruitment and transfer of teachers, reinstatement, recognition of academic degree certificates, transfer of students in higher education institutions, tuition fees, etc. The majority of citizens` 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, would be brought to the notice of relevant authorities.

27/05/2016 16:17

Scientists at Azerbaijani educational institutions published 242 papers in impact-factor journals in 2011, 300 papers in 2014, and 604 papers in 2015. Purposeful work has been conducted in the country in recent years to expand the use of international research databases, including Thomson Reuters, the largest provider of intelligent information in the world. The Ministry of Education signed an agreement on cooperation with Thomson Reuters last December, under which, requested by the Ministry, 40 higher education institutions in Azerbaijan received access to products and services of Thomson Reuters, including Web of Science®, the most comprehensive and versatile research platform available. Apart from this database, Azerbaijani scientists also received access to the most recently published issues of leading scholarly journals. The Ministry of Education will organize a competition to evaluate quality of scholarly articles published in Thomson Reuters-indexed journals. The main goal of the competition is to expand scientific and publishing activity of scientists and teachers at higher education institutions in Azerbaijan. Quality of authors` scientific activity will be measured through a special methodology developed by the Ministry of Education. The competition will feature mathematical and technical sciences, physics, chemistry, biology, humanities, economy and management, medical sciences. The Ministry of Education will provide comprehensive information about the competition that will be held at the end of every calendar year.

27/05/2016 14:16

“Book Quest” and “Azerbaijan – my Motherland” competitions for school communities have wrapped up. A ceremony to award the winners of the competitions was held at secondary school No. 18 in Baku on May 25. Participants in the event included employees of the Ministry of Education and Baku City Education Department, education experts, and media representatives. Organized by community.az portal, “Book Quest” competition aimed to encourage schoolchildren`s, teachers` and parents` interest in literature. “Azerbaijan – my Motherland” competition provided schoolchildren with the opportunity to show off their photography skills. More than 500 schoolchildren, their parents and teachers registered through community.az  portal for the competition. Teacher at secondary school No. 169 in Baku Albina Abubakirova, teacher at secondary school No. 23 in Sumgayit Eleonora Kairova and member of school community of secondary school No. 158 in Baku Naila Bukhlova became winners of “Book Quest” competition. Teacher at secondary school No. 46 in Baku Gullu Ahmadova won “Azerbaijan – my Motherland” competition. The winners were awarded certificates of recognition and valuable prizes. The competitions were held in partnership with Access Bank, Saglam Aile LLC, Standard Insurance and Allianz Consult companies. The competitions were designed to stimulate the activities of school communities, encourage members of school communities, and also increase teachers`, schoolchildren`s and parents` interest in community building.

27/05/2016 14:13

One hundred and twenty-four schools in five cities and 36 districts will have an extra emphasis in certain subjects starting from 2016-2017 academic year. Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov signed a decree approving the list of new pilot secondary education institutions, which will specialize in certain subjects, including in the cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumgayıt, Mingachevir and Shirvan, and Absheron, Lankaran, Guba, Barda, Tovuz, Ismayilli, Shaki, Aghjabadi, Yevlakh, Khachmaz, Samukh, Neftchala, Zagatala, Jalilabad, Shamakhi, Siyazan, Shabran, Gusar, Gabala, Balakan, Salyan, Masalli, Bilasuvar, Sabirabad, Saatli, Kurdamir, Goychay, Zardab, Beylagan, Aghdash, Goranboy, Goygol, Tartar, Shamkir, Gazakh, Aghstafa districts. Under the existing rules, specialized classes will have at least 20 children each. The pilot schools will be provided with special curriculums. Measures will also include enlightenment, staffing and equipping specialized classes, and conducting trainings for teachers. The pilot specialization project was launched in five schools in the city of Baku in 2011. The number of subjects on the curriculum in these schools was reduced, and they were supplied with special curriculums with an extra emphasis in certain subjects. In view of positive results of the pilot project, the Ministry of Education decided to expand the network of specialized schools. The 2015-2016 academic year saw 50 more schools (33 in Baku, 5 in Sumgayit, 4 in Mingachevir, 3 in Ganja, 1 in Shirvan, and 4 schools under the Ministry of Education) make an extra emphasis on four subjects (technical, mathematical-economic, humanitarian, nature). Nearly 3700 tenth grade schoolchildren in 176 classes in 58 schools were involved in the specialized education program in the 2015-2016 academic year. An analysis of the project results proves that given the fact that specialized schools meet schoolchildren`s tendencies and preferences, making an emphasis in certain subjects has increased their interest in education and had a positive impact on their performance.  

26/05/2016 14:09