TIME IS SHORT

"At our nursery scho-ol things have re-ached the point where children are sleeping two to a bed." This is the reality of the life of our children in nursery schools, a parent who wished to remain anonymous told a R+ correspondent. She said that almost all nursery schools in Baku, starting with creches and ending with the older groups, are overcrowded. Naturally, these nursery buildings and the furniture and fittings in them cannot cope with this load, not to mention daily nutrition standards. Hacibala Abutalibov, the Mayor of Baku, promised that new nursery buildings would be built in Baku soon and the problem of their shortage would be solved but, in all probability this would only be if more children were accepted into nursery schools. But this clearly won't resolve the situation. Both my husband and I go to work in our family. We have no-one to look after the children and we don't have the money for a private nursery school. We currently have to put up with overcrowding at the nursery because we can't find another one and this one was difficult to find as it is. The administrators promised to buy extra beds but I'd just like to know where they'll put them. And how can you look after so many children in one group?" the parent wonders.

Nurseries - a constant

R+ has raised the question of fostering and educational establishments in the country on more than one occasion, but the situation is changing very slowly. We are talking mainly about state-run nursery schools, although there is a wide choice of private nurseries where the range of services varies quite a lot depending on location and costs (naturally those located in the town centre and neighbouring districts are regarded as more prestigious). But if you put aside the specialized methods (e.g. Montessori) that are applied in some private establishments, the level of fostering and educational measures is not very different from those in state-run establishments with the difference basically only in price.

Naturally, state-run nurseries are popular among all sections of the population and therefore the logical problem of their "over-population" arises because it is clear that the number of nursery schools today is a more or less constant, but the population meanwhile is increasing.

The problem at the centre of attention

The country's First Lady, Mehriban xanim Aliyeva, also pointed to the problem of the shortage of nursery schools in Azerbaijan last year during the presentation of a programme of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the development of pre-school educational establishments. "There is a great need in our country for the construction of nursery schools. It could be said that children spend half a day at school. The conditions and quality of education our children receive there, and the atmosphere within them, are very important. It is in these schools that the intellectual, physical and mental development of children, the emergence of their talent and capabilities, their health and development of contacts with other people begin from their earliest years. That is why we, of course, must approach this area of education with even greater attention," she stressed in her speech.

The present situation in pre-school educational establishments, which in the initial stage covered the capital and will in future be applied to the whole country, is now being permanently monitored as part of this programme. At the time, as part of the programme's presentation, the mayor of Baku, Hacibala Abutalibov, said that 36,977 children are now being taught and trained in 345 pre-school educational establishments in Baku, 174 nursery schools have been completely overhauled and the necessary conditions created. Thirty-four schools are under repair. Along with this, according to the statistics, 157,349 children from the ages of one to five are in need of nursery schools. In other words, only 23.4 per cent of children of this age are currently getting education and training in nursery schools. So, Baku is in need of 1,105 nursery schools consisting of six groups.

However we are getting the first results of this programme. In August last year, construction began of additional buildings for children's educational establishments 110 and 172 in Baku's Nizami District, and this year they will be handed over in the presence of the foundation's president, Mehriban xanim Aliyeva. As part of this programme, construction has begun of new nurseries, some of which have already been commissioned, and other schools, including for toddlers, are opening in Azerbaijan's regions.

New standards for new schools

According to the state standard and programme of pre-school education, approved by the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers of 16 July, 2010, the density of children by groups in pre-school educational establishments should not exceed: from 1 to 2 years of age - 15 children; from 2 to 3 - 15; from 3 to 4 - 20; from 4 to 5 - 20; and from 5 to 6 - 20. In fact, schools have long since been exceeding these standards. Today, it is hard to find a pre-school establishment in which there are less than 25, and often there are 30 children in a group. Of course, the better the standard of education, care and repairs in a specific school, the more parents want to send their children there. However, the number of teachers remains the same: one or two rotating teachers and one nanny, who is run off her feet trying to look after all the restless children, for each group. The majority of those questioned - parents of pre-school children - admit that they are generally satisfied with the way things are developing in nursery schools, but that is understandable because they usually place their children in schools which are nearest to them and where there is a better level of services. This leads to another problem. Essentially, placing a child in a nursery close to where he/she lives should not be difficult: the documents are provided well in advance and the child is registered. But suddenly, it turns out that the nursery is full and there are no vacancies. So, placing a child in a school that is not to a parent's liking but simply closer to home means she has to make arrangements with the school's principals, with all the ensuing consequences. However, control by the authorities and introducing checks to monitor the illegal entry of children in overcrowded nursery schools only complicates the situation. Afraid of sanctions, and even dismissal, many school principals are forced to tell parents they cannot take on their children. Another way of getting round the ban is where a child is accepted into a school but this is not officially documented. This doesn't seem to affect standards. But if you bear in mind that nursery schools are funded from the state budget, then the amount of money spent on one child is automatically reduced.

Time to change the situation

Since pre-school educational establishments were transferred from the Ministry of Education over to the Baku local authorities, the situation hasn't got any better. Now, in order to place a child one must find a "channel" to the local authority. In Baku, the local authorities say they know all about this problem. They admit that the state-run nursery schools are overcrowded, but it is impossible to resolve this situation quickly. "We must build new schools - that's all we can say about this problem," the Baku authorities stressed. At the same time, it should be pointed out that certain conditions are required to open a nursery school: it must have an upper storey, spacious premises, a playground with level ground or surface and gates that can be closed.

"Smash-and grab" privatization

The transgressions which occurred following the privatization of pre-school establishments also played a significant role in the current shortage of nursery schools. For example, according to the chairman of the public association "Legal World - Legal Propaganda", Nazir Quliyev, in 2006 100 nursery schools in the capital were set up for privatization. The conditions of this process stipulated that after privatization a pre-school establishment should not alter its type. However, many owners ignored this directive after privatization. "Some nursery school buildings were pulled down and high-rise buildings put up in their place and some state-run nurseries were turned into private-run schools. And the people who privatized them started alluding to the law 'On privatization'. A great many establishments were closed down and the number of cheap sites was reduced," Quliyev says.

In his view, this problem can be solved by increasing the number of state-run nursery schools. "Because of the large deficit in state-run pre-school establishments, the owners of private nurseries have upped their prices: from 300 manats and above. However, according to the law "On temporary tax benefits to play schools, nurseries, special nursery schools and children's homes", from 1 January 2014 all the establishments mentioned in the law were exempt from the payment of profit tax of corporate bodies and simplified tax covered by the Tax Code. But if the number of state-run nurseries increases, the need for private ones would be reduced. It is true that most people prefer private-run nursery schools because they feel that the catering, infrastructure and staff are better there. However, for less well-off families, an increase in the number of state-run nurseries is a way out of this complex situation. Besides, no-one complains today about the way children are fed in state-run nurseries. Parents are satisfied with the food, and generally they complain that there is not enough of it," Quliyev summed up.

Some facts and figures

According to the State Statistics Committee's figures for 2015, there are 1,650 pre-school educational establishments in the country, providing for 113,805 children. This figure includes both ordinary and specialized nursery schools. Even if we take this number as a basis, it is not that high for a population of nine million. The statistics show that despite the critical capacity of schools, only about 18 per cent of children of pre-school age attend these establishments. This makes the situation even more critical. And although parents are generally happy with the food at state-run nursery schools, it is nothing to write home about. 

According to a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of 1 October 2007, parents' fees have been abolished in pre-school establishments, although there is a proviso that parents may make a voluntary payment. The reality of life today is that voluntary usually becomes obligatory. But, then you would do whatever you can to make life nice and comfortable for your child. And, although it was several years ago that the question of reviewing catering standards in nursery schools was discussed, the standards adopted way back in 1994 still apply. The cost for one child is put at 3.94 manats. Bearing in mind the current change in prices, inflation and seasonal fluctuations, this sum is hardly sufficient for a child. These standards were drawn up at a difficult time for the country, and so the people who made them - experts from the Azerbaijani Health Ministry - tried to include as much food in the meagre budget as possible. But in a period of over 20 years it would have been possible to review the standards which directly impact on children's health. After all, they are carried out in state-run establishments either compulsorily or voluntarily for most of the week. It might be worth introducing a system of partial payment, which already exists on a non-official level.

Be that as it may, there is a serious crisis in the pre-school educational system in Azerbaijan which is having an adverse impact on those who are dearest to us - our children. And the feeling is that the experts should take a serious look again at questions linked with the way nursery schools operate, including the building of new spacious premises with areas where the children can walk and play. Time dictates its conditions but time will also tell whether we can keep pace with it. And time, as we know, is short.

AT FIRST HAND

"There is a great need in our country for the construction of nursery schools. It could be said that children spend half a day at school. The conditions and quality of education our children receive there, and the atmosphere within them, are very important. It is in these schools that the intellectual, physical and mental development of children, the emergence of their talent and capabilities, their health and development of contacts with other people begin from their earliest years. That is why we, of course, must approach this area of education with even greater attention" - 

Mehriban Aliyeva, First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation