The 2016 regional quizzing school championship was held as part of the Year of Multiculturalism. It involved a total of 58 teams from 12 zones, including the cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit, Nakhchivan, Shamkir, Mingachevir, Shirvan, Imishli, Lankaran, Guba, Zagatala, and Goychay. Baku zonal tournament of the championship was held at secondary school No. 18 in Baku. The championship aims to stimulate development of intelligent and creative skills of youth, discover their talents, intellectual potential and knowledge of different areas, encourage pupils` involvement in intellectual activity, and ensure their effective leisure. Speaking to the opening ceremony, deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov provided an insight into successful multiculturalism policy carried out in Azerbaijan. He also wished the participants success. Director of Baku City Education Department Mahabbat Valiyeva highlighted the importance of the regional school championship. The championship then was declared open. The team of Baku Turkish Lyceum of the Turkish Religious Foundation won the championship, which featured intense competition. In regional championships, winners included Sumgayit city secondary school No. 11 and Ganja city secondary school No. 27, as well as the teams from Samukh, Lankaran, Zagatala, Absheron, Imishli, Barda, Zardab and Kurdamir regions.

19/05/2016 12:42

The national final of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 student technology competition was held on May 17. The competition was organized by Microsoft Azerbaijan and Nar Mobile in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications and High Technologies and High Tech Park. Participants in the awarding ceremony included deputy Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov, deputy Minister of Communications and High Technologies Elmir Valizade, Director General of Microsoft Azerbaijan Sarkhan Hashimov, Chief Executive Officer of Nar Mobile Kent McNeley, Director of High Tech Park Seymur Aghayev, university rectors and students. Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world's premier student technology competition, offering youth career development and stimulating new opportunities. The national final is aimed at discovering talented Azerbaijani students and contributing to their development as qualified specialists in compliance with labor market standards. The competition saw students of higher and vocational education institutions showcase their ideas in three categories (Innovation, World Citizenship and Games). TechSOS team of SABAH group students won World Citizenship category. Members of the team Aytaj Aghabayli, Gunay Abdullayeva, Naila Ismayilova and Sanan Guluzade introduced a fall detection system, which includes a smartphone app, cloud app and device. Resembling a pager, this device is attached to an old person`s belt. The system sends a message for help if a fall is detected. The whereabouts of the affected person are displayed in the message. The system is designed to ensure that the affected person receives immediate medical assistance. JavaSet team ranked first in Innovation category. Members of the team Nijat Javadov and Yesset Jusupov presented an emotion identification project based on a facial recognition system. The system allows teachers to organize classes in a more effective and quality manner. Through monitoring pupils` faces and showing their emotions the system helps teachers define whether they understand the topics of the lesson or not. The Corp team of ADA university ranked first in Games category. Students Ulviyya Mammadzade, Toghrul Rahimli, Ramazan Suleymanli and Ali Babayev presented an audio adventure game. Based on human-app dialogue, the game helps shape logic and special thinking. The winners in the three categories qualified for the international semi-final, which will be held through online voting. The successful teams will represent Azerbaijan in Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 international final due to take place in July. The cash prize for the first place is $50,000. The ceremony featured group presentations by the winners. The winners of the national final of Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 were awarded during the event.

18/05/2016 12:47

“Friendship Cup-2016” mini football tournament has been held on the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev. The tournament involved the teams of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve under the Cabinet of Ministers, State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (“ASAN service”) and Seaside Boulevard Office under the Cabinet of Ministers. Organized by trade union committees of the government bodies, the tournament aimed to encourage healthy lifestyle among employees and ensure their effective leisure. Matches were held at the stadium of Azerbaijan Tennis Academy. The team of the Ministry of Education ranked third at the tournament. The winners were awarded by the organizers.

18/05/2016 10:31

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) was held in the city of Phoenix, the U.S. state of Arizona. Some 1,760 students from 77 countries participated in the fair. Azerbaijan was represented at the event by winners of “Scientists of tomorrow” fifth Countrywide Competition – 11th grade pupils of Baku European Lyceum Arzu Mammadova and Narmin Aydarova, 10th grade pupils of Academician Zarifa Aliyeva Lyceum Madat Sardarli, Ayshan Aliyeva and Ali Aliyev, and 11th grade pupil of the lyceum Nigar Sardarli. The Azerbaijani pupils claimed a historic success at the fair as Narmin Aydarova and Arzu Mammadova were ranked fourth by the jury in physics and materials science categories. Nigar and Madat Sardarlis won a special award of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. This is the first time Azerbaijani pupils win the special award of the fair since 2012. Winners also received cash awards and certificates. Each year approximately seven million students from around the world apply to participate in Intel ISEF, which was founded in 1997. Azerbaijan selects its participants through “Scientists of tomorrow” Countrywide Competition. This year`s competition saw 9th-11th grade pupils of secondary education institutions from 11 cities and regions submit a total of 129 scientific projects, including 87 team and 42 individual projects. The competition featured eight categories.

17/05/2016 11:32

Another “Green Mountain” social awareness campaign was held on May 14. The campaign is part of “Let’s exchange paper for a leaf” project initiated by IDEA Public Union, and  supported by the Ministry of Education and the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (“ASAN service”). Participants in the event included chairman of “Asan service” Inam Karimov, deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Azersun Holding Abdulbari Guzel and General Coordinator of IDEA Public Union Farid Jafarov. Chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations Inam Karimov said “Green Mountain” social awareness campaign had taken place in the cities of Sumgayit, Sabirabad and Barda so far. Deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov said higher and secondary education institutions in Baku were actively involved in the campaign. He stressed the importance of the project in terms of protection of the environment and greenery.  Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyn Baghirov, General Coordinator of IDEA Public Union Farid Jafarov and other speakers emphasized the significance of the campaign. They said the campaign aimed to increase environmental awareness, reduce paper wastage, save trees through encouraging recycling, ensure protection of nature and maintain ecological balance. The speakers noted that more than 5 million trees had been planted in the last five years. The event also featured performance by artists. Nearly 600 pine seedlings were distributed among the citizens who actively contributed to the campaign.

16/05/2016 14:18

“Museum week” was launched on May 13 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in collaboration with Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan as part of the Year of Multiculturalism. Participants in the event included deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov, deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Sevda Mammadaliyeva, representative of Icherisheher State Historical and Architectural Reserve under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan Anar Guliyev, Executive Director of the Science Development Foundation under the President Elchin Babayev, heads of general education institutions and museums, and pupils. Deputy Minister of Education Firudin Gurbanov said the program aims to familiarize pupils with scientific, cultural, historical, ecological, development concept and ethnographic aspects of collections of large museums in the country. Implemented by the Republican Ecological Education and Training Center of the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Republican Center of Young Tourists and Local Lore under “Museums and Multiculturalism” program, “Museum week” will be held in 25 museums in Baku and regions of the country from May 12 to 18. Last year the project saw 7,000 pupils visit 15 museums in Baku. The event featured the awarding of certificates to general education institutions and pupils who were actively involved in “Museum week” in 2015.

16/05/2016 09:24

A series of events are being held in the regions of the country under “Teach for Azerbaijan” education program implemented by the Ministry of Education in partnership with Kapital Bank. First academic classes and individual development trainings were conducted under the program in Lankaran, Guba regions, and the cities of Shaki and Ganja. More than 400 pupils from 17 schools participated in the classes and trainings. Academic classes saw English and Azerbaijani language teachers explain a number of topics and organize group games in order to discover pupils` knowledge and comprehension abilities. During the trainings, instructors provided an insight into the topics of specialty choice and interest in reading, and shared their relevant experience with pupils. Group games helped pupils have a deeper understanding of the topics.      “Teach for Azerbaijan” is an educational program aimed at ensuring equal education opportunities in secondary schools through supporting “The State Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan”. Implemented by the Ministry of Education in partnership with Kapital Bank, the program is supported by “Istek” Lyceum, “London School” Language Education Center, “Headway Language and Development” company, AIESEC Azerbaijan, “Sharg – Garb” Publishing House. The goal of the program is to encourage public involvement in improving quality of education, increasing pupils` knowledge and shaping their world views through additional education opportunities under Corporate Social Responsibility concept.

16/05/2016 09:21

“Let’s exchange paper for a leaf” paper waste collection project is underway. Initiated by IDEA Public Union, the project is supported by the Ministry of Education and the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations (“ASAN service”). Baku-based schools are actively involved in the project, with paper waste given to secondary school No. 178 in Narimanov district. The campaign aims to increase environmental awareness, reduce paper wastage save trees through encouraging recycling, ensure protection of nature and maintain ecological balance. Held annually, “Green Mountain” social awareness campaign has taken place in the cities of Sumgayit, Sabirabad and Barda so far, sparking intense public interest. This time the campaign will bring together representatives of government bodies, non-governmental organizations and private sector as well as citizens in capital Baku with the aim of protecting the environment. The campaign will be held at “ASAN service” center No.5 (Heydar Aliyev Avenue 115, Nizami district). A symbolic “tree” set up by the campaign organizers aims to increase people`s social responsibility and calls for green future. Those who want to contribute to ensuring environmental protection and maintaining ecological balance can join the campaign through bringing waste paper

13/05/2016 17:12

The 33rd Balkan Mathematical Olympiad took place in the Albanian capital of Tirana from 5 to 10 May, 2016. Azerbaijani pupils succeeded at the Olympiad, which brought together more than 100 pupils from 18 countries, including Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as Italy, France, UK, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia. Pupil of an experimental class at Ganja city specialist lyceum No. 26 with enhanced education in physics and mathematics Anar Huseynov won a silver medal, and pupil of an experimental class at Academician Zarifa Aliyeva Lyceum in Baku Mahammad Shirinov grabbed bronze. Team leaders and pupils have recently embarked on intensive training as they are gearing up for international Olympiads in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics, which will be held in different countries in July.

13/05/2016 17:08

On 12 May, the Ministry of Education organized the first “History of Motherland” seminar at Shusha city secondary school No. 1. The seminar aims to provide a platform for interactive discussion of realities of Azerbaijan`s history and the processes playing a crucial role in the country`s destiny, as well as to ensure continuity of measures to encourage patriotic upbringing of the young generation, and increase teachers` involvement in this process. Participants in the event included MP Elman Mammadov, head of the Department of General and Pre-school Education at the Ministry of Education Aydın Ahmadov, deputy head of Shusha District Executive Authority Vusala Fataliyeva, head of the Department of History of Qarabagh at Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Gasim Hajiyev, head of the Department of History of Azerbaijan at Baku State University Mehman Abdullayev, honored teacher Ayyub Shirlanli, as well as employees of the Ministry of Education, representatives of Shusha district education community, pupils and parents. The participants first watched “History, monuments, sons and daughters of Shusha” video clip. The seminar provided an insight into Azerbaijan`s development history, and highlighted Armenia`s military aggression and policy of occupation against Azerbaijan. Speakers said that as a stable and powerful country Azerbaijan was capable of successfully completing its cause of justice and restoring its territorial integrity. They said that apart from obtaining scientific knowledge, pupils must also mature into true citizens and cherish and respect national and moral values. The speakers emphasized the necessity of conducting more systematic and intensive work to raise secondary school pupils in a patriotic spirit, and said that teachers should prioritize the strengthening of pupils` sense of loyalty to motherland. The seminar also featured broad discussions on the topic, and a question-and-answer session. The participants underlined the significance of promoting – in general education institutions – national leader Heydar Aliyev`s invaluable services to the motherland and his people, increasing pupils` knowledge of Azerbaijani state symbols, historic and cultural monuments, outstanding figures, Azerbaijan`s international standing and recent accomplishments, as well as martyrs who died for the Motherland.  History of Motherland seminar will be held in other secondary schools on a continuous basis.

13/05/2016 14:16