Education in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) finds that Azerbaijan is fulfilling only 85.6% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income. HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Azerbaijan's income level, the nation is achieving 81.0% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and 90.3% for secondary education.
History In the pre-Soviet period, Azerbaijani education included Islamic religious training that commenced in early childhood. Beginning at roughly age five and sometimes continuing until age twenty, children attended madrasahs, education institutions affiliated with mosques. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, madrasahs were established as separate education institutions in major cities, but the religious component of education remained significant. In 1865, the first technical high school and the first women's high school were opened in Baku. In the late nineteenth century, secular elementary schools for Azerbaijanis began to appear (schools for ethnic Russians had been established earlier), but institutions of higher education and the use of the Azerbaijani language in secondary schools were forbidden in Transcaucasia throughout the tsarist period. The majority of ethnic Azerbaijani children received no education in this period, and the Azerbaijani literacy rate remained very low, especially among women. Few women were allowed to attend school.
In the Soviet era, literacy and average education levels rose dramatically from their very low starting point, despite two changes in the script, from Arabic to Latin in the 1920s and from Latin to Cyrillic in the 1930s. According to Soviet data, 100 percent of males and females (ages nine to forty-nine) were literate in 1970. According to the United Nations Development Program Report 2009, the literacy rate in Azerbaijan is 99.5 percent.
During the Soviet period, the Azerbaijani education system was based on the standard model imposed by Moscow, which featured state control of all education institutions and heavy doses of Marxist–Leninist ideology at all levels.
Since independence, one of the first laws that Azerbaijan's Parliament passed was to adopt a modified-Latin alphabet to replace Cyrillic. Other than that, the Azerbaijani system has undergone little structural change. Initial alterations have included the reestablishment of religious education (banned during the Soviet period) and curriculum changes that have reemphasized the use of the Azerbaijani language and have eliminated ideological content. In addition to elementary schools, the education institutions include thousands of preschools, general secondary schools, and vocational schools, including specialized secondary schools and technical schools. Education through the ninth grade is compulsory. At the end of the Soviet period, about 18 percent of instruction was in Russian, but the use of Russian began a steady decline beginning in 1988. Today English and Russian are taught as second or third languages.
Education system in the Republic of Azerbaijan Education in Azerbaijan is regarded as an area of activity that constitutes the basis for the development of the society and the state, which has a strategic precaution and superiority. In the Republic of Azerbaijan, the educational system has a democratic, secular character and its basis is national and international values. All citizens are entitled to 9 years of compulsory general education. The right to education is the fundamental right of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This was established in the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and in the Education Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Article 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan states that the right of citizens to be educated is determined as follows: Every citizen has the right to education; The state grants free compulsory general secondary education; The state controls the education system; The State guarantees the education of talented persons without regard to their material condition; The government sets minimum educational standards; Everyone has the right to education in the framework of the state standard; It is guaranteed that all citizens have the right to education in Azerbaijan irrespective of differences such as nationality, religion, race, language, sex, age, health and social status, activity area, place of residence and political views. Education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of six and fifteen. Basic schooling is divided into three: primary education, general secondary and full secondary education.
Language Azerbaijani is the main language of education in the schools of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani is the official language of the country. There are, however, many schools that offer the whole 9 years of general education, 3 years of higher education, and a bachelor's degree in Russian. The languages offered are not limited to Russian only: there are branches of well-known schools and foundations, e.g. British School, EF English First, which offer the English language-based education for both foreigners and expats in the country and the local people, for 9–11 years of the general education, although the majority of these schools have higher than average tuition costs in comparison with the local educational establishments mainly due to being private organizations and schools.
For bachelor's degree, the choice gets wider: the three major languages (Azerbaijani, Russian and English) as a medium of instruction are still there, however, for those who plan to take regional studies courses, the classes are offered in languages corresponding to their study of the country e.g. Japanese studies and culture students must take Japanese language course without exception for some classes, summer schools and internships may require higher knowledge of the language.
Undergraduate courses tend to be taught in English, especially at newly founded or popular universities, e.g. ADA University, Baku Higher Oil School, Baku Engineering University (former Baku Engineering University). Along with this, traditional and old universities, e.g. Baku State University, Azerbaijan University of Languages and other establishments offer not only arts and humanities but also social science courses, mainly in English.
Pillars of Education
Primary Education Primary education starts with one year of pre-primary school training. Before pre-school training the majority of children already know the basics of understanding from their kindergarten experience. So pre-school training is mainly to develop kids' comprehension, nature, taste and understanding of surrounding elements. Some children acquire writing and reading skills during this period as well. However, it differs from child to child and their skills, mainly.
Primary school itself starts at the age of six and lasts four years, 1–4 classes. At the age of 10, students take an exam and pass to what is called in the western system "middle school". The majority of the population attend public schools for primary education. However, there are many private schools to choose from and attend, too.
General Secondary Education This stage of education is equal to the western system of middle school and covers 5-9th grades. General secondary education is also free in public schools. In this period, students get deeper knowledge about literature, math, languages, history, culture, sports, science, arts etc. At the end of general secondary education, they take an exam to get the full secondary education.
Full Secondary Education Full secondary education covers 10th, and 11th grades and is also free in public schools Azerbaijan offers. At this stage, students already choose their choice of future profession and prepare for entrance exams that take place every year in summer. This is considered to be the most vulnerable period of studentship, mainly due to the stress level caused by the entrance exam competition to score higher and to get full scholarships from the government to pay for their tuition fees among students.
Entrance exam The entrance exam is the official governmental exam entrants take to get into universities every summer in different regions of Azerbaijan. The exam was administered once a year until 2017. Now, the exam is offered twice a year. The first exam is always free to all students who wish to take the exam, but the second exam costs 40₼ ($23.5 as of October 5, 2020). The maximum score is 700. Students are required to answer 30 questions from each subject according to the group they choose, making it overall 3 subjects for each profession group. There are overall 4 main groups of profession and one extra (5th group) for those who plan to attend fields that require a certain skill. The government exempts those who score higher from tuition fees.
Diplomas and Certificates Graduates who have completed their education and have successfully completed the examinations and diplomas are presented with a uniform state document certifying their profession and their degree. The training document is the basis for starting work and moving to the new step. Documents related to the education presented are certificate scholarship, diploma, professional master diploma, diploma, bachelor's, master's and doctoral diploma over the "junior expert" category, a certificate for increasing specialization, diploma related to re-training.
Education programs In Azerbaijan, the education system consists of graduated educational programs, educational institution networks, the governing bodies of the education system, and other institutions dealing with education and training. Management, as part of the function of an excellent system with various characteristics, ensures that some of its structures are preserved, the regime of operation, the program, and its objectives are carried out successfully. A system of government agencies and community self-governing bodies is being established to manage education. These organizations operate within the framework of competence set out in the education legislation and are in undertakings with non-binding laws. Educational administration The Education Act is balanced by the rules and programs of appropriate legislation and educational institutions and is based on international experience. The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Education, and the local educational institutions are the main subjects of the administration of the education system. Local government agencies, related scientific-pedagogical communities, professional-creativity associations, societies, socio-political institutions, and societies participate in the management of educational institutions. In the management process, the Ministry of Education's mission can be generalized to the following aspects: Identification of the most important problems in the education system, as well as the degree of importance of their resolution, as well as the assessment of the environment surrounding them for analysis and prediction; ensuring that the system is legally documented so that the process is carried out regularly and the quality is improved; The analysis and estimation is carried out, the results are presented to the group of officers who receive the decision; The preparation and realization of the national strategic program related to education and the organization of national education standards; Statistical and forecasting and monitoring of included indicators; to make methodical services, to ensure that everyone enjoys them;