On May 20, Minister of Education Mikail Jabbarov received charge d'affaires of the Republic of Colombia in the Republic of Azerbaijan Marta Inés Galindo Peña. They discussed Azerbaijani-Colombian relations in the field of education and prospects for cooperation in accordance with the tasks set by “State Strategy for Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

23/05/2016 09:24

“Increasing language skills of English teachers and community members” project was presented as part of cooperation of the British Council, Ministry of Education and BP Azerbaijan on May 19. Participants in the event included head of the Department of Education Development Programs of the Ministry of Education Emin Amrullayev, British Council Regional Director Andy Williams, English Language Regional Director Jill Coates and BP representatives. The British Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Education has held professional development trainings for English language teachers in 13 regions across the country. The current project will be implemented in the western districts, including Aghstafa, Goranboy, Samukh, Tovuz and Shamkir, through which an oil and gas pipeline passes. Under the project, whose duration is one year, 75 English language teachers and more than 500 school children aged 10-16 representing 10 secondary schools, and around 150 community members are expected to improve their English language skills. 

23/05/2016 09:22

On May 19, the British Council Azerbaijan in partnership with the Ministry of Education launched English Language Centre at secondary school No. 23. Participants in the opening ceremony included deputy Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov, British Council Regional Director Andy Williams, English Language Regional Director Jill Coates, British Council Azerbaijan Director Elizabeth White, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Baku Stephen McCormick, and media representatives. Deputy Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov said that advanced teaching methods, resources and technologies will be applied at the centre. It will also provide professional development trainings for English language teachers of both school No. 23 and other schools. “Involving English language teachers in professional development training is part of cooperation of the British Council Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Education,” he added. Other speakers said that one of the main goals of the English Language Centre was to improve communication skills of those wishing to learn English through providing them with rich language learning resources. Students of the schools, located in the vicinity of the centre, will have an opportunity to develop independent learning and communication skills, extra-curricular activities by paying a nominal fee. The centre is provided with rich library, magazines, DVDs, electronic resources, computers and laptops with necessary language learning software. Two more English Language Centres will be launched at a selected educational institution and Education Staff Development Institute in Baku in September. Each centre will act as a mini network for four educational institutions located in the vicinity. The centres will also allow schools students to communicate with those learning English through face-to-face conversation or multimodal talk. Afterwards the participants of the ceremony viewed the English Language Centre and attended the classes.

20/05/2016 17:09

A ceremony was held on May 17 to award the winners of the Countrywide Subject Olympiad. The event started with the playing of the state anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A video clip on the Countrywide Subject Olympiads was screened. Participants in the ceremony included Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov, parliamentarians, heads of government bodies, non-governmental organizations and educational institutions, intelligentsia, chairmen and members of the jury panel, winners of the Olympiad, and representatives of the education community. Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov said subject Olympiads were held every academic year with the aim of discovering talented pupils, developing their potential and conducting purposeful work with them. “Held in an atmosphere of objective, healthy and fair competition, these Olympiads contribute to increasing pupils` interest in relevant subjects.” The Minister said that the number of pupils participating in the first stage of the Countrywide Subject Olympiad increased this year to reach 27,500. Minister Mikayil Jabbarov hailed the fact that pupils from regions dominated those from the capital among the winners, adding that a total of 260 pupils became winners in the Olympiad. The Minister said success of Azerbaijani pupils at international Olympiads and competitions was indicative of effectiveness of the purposeful measures taken in this regard. Azerbaijani pupils have claimed five silver and 11 bronze medals at five international subject Olympiads in Korea, Albania, Russia and China this academic year. It`s no coincidence that the winners of a number of countrywide and international Olympiads study at leading universities across the world. The winners of the Moscow-hosted International Mendeleyev Olympiad were invited to Lomonosov Moscow State University, the pupils who won medals at Balkan Mathematical Olympiad were invited to Bilkent and Middle East Technical universities in Turkey. The Minister hailed the role of teachers at general education institutions in ensuring these accomplishments, and wished them success in preparing talented pupils. Minister Mikayil Jabbarov congratulated pupils, their teachers and parents, and underlined the importance of taking advantage of the existing opportunities in order to achieve better results. A total of 27,500 pupils participated in the first stage of the Countrywide Subject Olympiad, while the second stage involved 4,174 pupils. Some 694 pupils contested medals in the final stage of the Olympiad, with 128 winning in technical subjects (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics), and 132 in humanities (Azerbaijani language and literature, history and geography). Other speakers highlighted what had been done to ensure Azerbaijani pupils` success at international Olympiads, and emphasized the significance of the activity of Olympiad centers in the country and subject Olympiads for junior pupils. The winning pupils said such events encourage them to master different subjects and build a healthy competition environment. The winners were awarded certificates and valuable prizes by the Ministry of Education. APA News Agency and 1news.az website provided information support for the event.

20/05/2016 14:20

On May 19, Minister of Education Mikayil Jabbarov received a delegation of the Russian Federation, including senior officials of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, and the Ministry of Education and Science, who are on a two-day working visit in Azerbaijan. They discussed the state and prospects of relations between the two countries in the field of education, education of Azerbaijani students in the Russian Federation, and the teaching of Russian language in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The delegation also visited classical gymnasium No. 160, Baku State University and Baku branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University, and familiarized themselves with the teaching of Russian language and opportunities for education in Russian language in Azerbaijan, as well as the Azerbaijani government`s support for this sector.

20/05/2016 12:42

Another sports festival was held at secondary school No. 23 named after T. Hasanov in Baku under TOPs (creation of modern educational technology in physical education) joint project of the Ministry of Education, British Council and Bakcell. The festival saw junior and senior pupils compete in different sports, and also featured their musical performance. A joint project of British Council, Ministry of Education, Sport for Development Public Union and Bakcell, TOPs aims to equip physical education teachers with new skills on modern educational technologies in physical education. The project involves more than 200 physical education teachers in 36 general education schools in Baku and Sumgayit. Open classes involving the physical education teachers, who attended special trainings, were held under the project with the aim of increasing quality of physical education. As a result of the project implementation, active teaching methodology was developed for the application of the subject program on physical education at general education schools, benefiting more than 35,000 pupils.

19/05/2016 14:26

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