TEMPLE OF AZERBAIJANI EDUCATION

One of the oldest universities in the country, the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University (ASPU), celebrates its centennial anniversary this year. As decreed by President Ilham Aliyev, the significant event was celebrated at the state level. To sum up the accomplishments of this higher education institution in the passing year, to learn about its glorious history marked with significant contributions in the life of our country, as well as to know about the current activities in the university, we interviewed the rector of ASPU, Doctor of History, Professor Jafar Jafarov.

"Jafar-muallim, we would like to congratulate you, your team, students, and everyone associated with this higher education institution on the centennial anniversary. To start our conversation, can you take us back to the historical path of your university’s development since its inception?"

"Thank you! The April 17, 2021 order of President Ilham Aliyev ‘On the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University’ is the highest token of appreciation of our activities over the past century. The document especially underlines the contribution of ASPU to the development of education in Azerbaijan.

“The history of ASPU as a higher educational institution with rich traditions begins on August 26, 1921, when the then chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of Azerbaijan, Nariman Narimanov, signed a decree on the creation of our university. It started with 8 teachers and 6 students only. The decree said: "The Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute for Men shall be founded on September 1, 1921 in Baku in order to train a highly qualified team of educators capable of implementing the ideas of the unified labour school of the republic and to prepare teachers that will teach to the 2nd-category Soviet schoolchildren in the Turkic language..."

Preliminary works had been completed long before the signing of the decree. To accomplish this mission, they created a special commission at the end of 1920s. Mr. Narimanov expressed his satisfaction with the progress during the reception of the commission members: “I see that you, guided by high spiritual aspirations, have chosen the right path to start the educational process. You devote your life to the prosperity of our people. The Republic of Azerbaijan will always be grateful to you for what you do. The people of Azerbaijan will always remember you.”

"Who were these people who contributed to the founding of the university? Can you name some of them?"

"There was a special steering committee presided by Nariman Narimanov. Head of one of the departments of the People's Commissariat of Education, Azad Amirov, was responsible for the general management of the committee. The first rector of the institute, Fatullah-bey Rzabeyli was the committee chair. Other members included Habib-bey Mahmudbeyli and Rahim Jafarov. Secretary of the committee was Ali-Abbas Velikhanli. Abdulla Shaig Talibzade, Mammad Efendiyev, and Sadig Huseynzade also contributed to the committee development and were regularly invited to various meetings of the committee. These people were the most prominent intellectuals of the time; they received higher education in Russia and other countries."

"Can you also name the outstanding graduates of your university over the past century?"

“There are many famous academicians who have significantly contributed to the development of science and education in Azerbaijan. By the way, our university has also developed as a research institution. The ASPU graduates includes hundreds of outstanding scientists, intellectuals, public figures, and statesmen, who our nation has always been proud of. Among the most famous are Mammad Arif Dadashzade, Hamid Arasly, Mehdi Mehdizade, Budag Budagov, Mikayil Mushfig, Suleyman Rahimov, Mehdi Huseyn, Shikhali Gurbanov, Ismayil Shikhly, Ilyas Efendiyev, and dozens of other intellectuals. The list is too long to name them all during our limited interview. I can proudly say that three of the eleven presidents of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS)—Yusif Mammadaliyev (twice), Zahid Khalilov, and Hasan Abdullayev,—as well as five vice-presidents of ANAS—Heydar Huseynov, Samed Vurghun, Zahid Khalilov, Alisohbat Sumbatzade, and Isa Habibbeyli—were the graduates of our university. Over the years, many Heroes of the Soviet Union (Mehdi Huseynzade, Khidir Mustafayev, Fariz Safarov, Salahaddin Kazimov), Heroes of Socialist Labour (Safa Imanov, Zarbali Samedov, Rustam Safaraliyev), and other outstanding personalities have been the graduates of ASPU.”

"Is it possible to keep this bar at this level today?"

"Times change. As part of the international community, Azerbaijan is getting more open to the world. Presently, there are more than 50 higher educational institutions in Azerbaijan, 21 of which also educate teachers. Some of these universities had previously been closely associated with the ASPU. Now we can see a growing competition in higher education both in Azerbaijan and worldwide. With thousands of young people choosing our university despite all the hard work, the student admission plan fulfilled by 98-99%, hundreds of our graduates receiving the master’s degree annually, and more than 60% of them successfully passing exams for recruitment, we are encouraged to work more enthusiastically. We closely monitor the results of each academic year, compare them against the data from the previous periods and other universities, observe the dynamics of changes. But this is not enough, as new challenges and changes require constant improvement."

"Decree on National Priorities of Socio-Economic Development: Azerbaijan-2030 approved by President Ilham Aliyev at the beginning of 2021 requires the development of the national education system in line with the requirements of the 21st century as one of the key priorities to ensure sustainability. What does your university do to adapt to the modern education system?"

"In recent years, we have launched a few new projects in this area. The first of these was a project awarding double diplomas to our graduates and implemented jointly with the George Washington University (USA) as part of the State Program for Increasing Competitiveness in Higher Education. Currently, 50 undergraduate students are enrolled in this program. Along with the first graduates who complete their education at the end of the current academic year, it is planned to increase the admission plan from 25 to 40 students. The program is a great opportunity to benefit from the rich experience of the renowned American university in pedagogical sciences.

“Among other projects, I can name the following: accreditation of four disciplines as a pilot project within the Twinning program implemented jointly with the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan in order to update the content of our curriculum and improve the qualification of our teachers; updating the content of three disciplines jointly with the Institute of Education; trainings for teachers as part of the inclusive education project in cooperation with the Public Association Regional Development under the Heydar Aliyev Foundation; translation and publication of a new foreign textbook; introduction in 2020 of a new discipline, Inclusive Education, in our curriculum; training of ASPU teachers under the STEAM program with the support of the Ministry of Education and the Institute of Education; creation of STEAM laboratories; introduction of STEAM classes in eight relevant disciplines; TKT trainings for English teachers in cooperation with the US Embassy and the Azerbaijan Centre for Advanced Pedagogical Skills; international certification of more than half of the 95 teachers; attracting a new generation of teachers to ASPU due to the real application of recruitment mechanisms, etc. Along with 22 disciplines for the training of staff teaching in the Azerbaijani language, we have also been able to increase the number of disciplines in the Russian department (from 3 to 10). Also, starting from the current academic year, we provide training courses in English for the teachers of elementary school and mathematics who take lessons at the bachelor’s level.

“There are also other programs, such as a new graduate-level training program SABAH for the organization and methodology of teaching and learning, a dual degree program on educational management, an MBA in Educational Management, and a training program for young social workers. Along with improving the quality of these disciplines, we will increase the volume of works to ensure the content and form of disciplines and the level of training of undergraduates meet the requirements of the new era.

“Over the past five years, we have seen a growing dynamics of researches accomplished by the teaching staff of ASPU. This can be seen both in the number of publications in the international scientific databases and in the number of references used in publications.”

"We have observed a considerable increase in the number of admissions to ASPU lately. Is this due to the growing interest of young people in teaching, or a result of reforms and innovations at the university?"

"Both. Certainly, the main factor is the favourable environment created for our students and teachers and the political support for reforms that we get from our state. Reforms in universities is possible only if both conditions are met. We all know that the state does a lot in this area, President Ilham Aliyev pays close attention to the education process. The implementation of the New Schools for Renewing Azerbaijan program initiated by the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, also strongly encourages the development of education in Azerbaijan.

“As for our success over the past five years, I would like to share with you some admission data for this year, because the anniversary is also a reporting year for us.

“As in previous years, the student enrolment performance has been strong this season. There are many universities in Azerbaijan that provide teaching classes. Nevertheless, our admission plan for the current academic year has been fulfilled by 97.6% (of 2,475 students planned). 66% of admissions were made based on a government demand, which is a serious reason for a positive assessment of quality indicators. 1,730 applicants (73.4%) scored more than 400 points during admission exams. 29% of applicants (earlier this number was about 20%) are residents of Baku and the Absheron Peninsula.”

"As part of reforms in the education systems, authorities continue to reassess the level of teachers' knowledge. Teachers are recruited through a centralised examination. Do your graduates manage to keep up with these requirements?"

"One of the main indicators affecting the rating of any university is its ability to develop students who can get decent jobs in the labour market after the graduation. In this context, the results of examinations for recruiting teachers and students for master's degrees are encouraging.

In the previous academic year, 2,119 students graduated from ASPU with a bachelor's degree. Of these, 873 students (41.5%) successfully passed the exams for obtaining the master's degree in Azerbaijan; 29 students will obtain the same degree abroad, including in Turkey, Germany, China, Spain, Italy, and Canada. 353 of our graduates (40% of those who passed the exams) will become masters.

“Also, our graduates successfully passed the exams for recruiting teachers this year. With the exception of students continuing their studies at the Master’s level and in the military service, 1306 (61%) of our bachelors tried to test their skills to get jobs at schools. 1089 (83%) of them scored more than 30 points, including 530 people with 40-60 points, and 184 people with 50-60 points. Compared to the situation 4-5 years ago, this result is 4-8 times better depending on the chosen specialities.”

"The ASPU anniversary coincides with the first anniversary of the Great Victory of Azerbaijan in the 44-day Patriotic War. Your team has also made a significant contribution to this victory..."

"We all know that the most cherished dream of all the fellow compatriots since the independence of Azerbaijan was the liberation of the occupied lands and the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Finally, this day has come true and our army led by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev defeated the Armenian army and won the 44-day Patriotic War. This is the greatest achievement in our centuries-old history.

“National heroes of Azerbaijan Mir-Alekber Ibrahimov, Matlab Guliyev, Shakir Salahov, knight of the Zafar Order, Colonel-General Ali Naghiyev, knights of the Flag of Azerbaijan Order Malik Bayramov and Murshid Mammadov, as well as ten martyrs of the war (Aghagardash Abbasov, Ilkin Aghaguliyev, Elgun Azizov, Ehtiram Huseynli, Ravan Latifov, Chilingir Nabiyev, Orkhan Nabiyev, Jeyhun Nusratli, Goshgar Omarov, Firdovsi Zakirov and the only woman killed in the front, Aryasta Bakhishova) are and were the graduates of ASPU.

“We are proud that about 200 students and alumni of ASPU are among the honorary soldiers and officers who heroically fought and showed courage during the Patriotic War. Years will pass, generations will change, but our 44-day heroic struggle will forever remain in the national memory as a symbol of pride of the Azerbaijani people!”

"How many veterans of the Patriotic War and members of families of martyrs study at ASPU? Do you have any programs to support their study?"

"Indeed, we annually conduct a survey among the new students. As soon as we identify such students, we closely monitor their progress. The current academic year is much more different  from the previous ones. You can see the siblings and relatives of our martyrs and war veterans in the classrooms. With this responsibility in mind, we must prepare the victorious youth as worthy teachers of the future. This situation imposes serious obligations on us.

“Currently, 186 students, including 83 in ASPU main facilities in Baku, 79 in our branches and 24 in the Pedagogical College, are the members of the families of martyrs or war veterans. Several veterans also continue their study in our university. Taking care of them is one of our main priorities.”

"We know that ASPU has significantly expanded its international relations. You have already noted some points in this context. In a recent interview with our magazine, a representative of the George Washington University said that ASPU was currently implementing a double diploma program for undergraduate students. What other international universities are involved in your cooperation programs?"

"As part of exchange programs, we continue to ensure the study of our students and teachers abroad. Presently, we have direct relations with 53 foreign universities. Under the Mevlana program, we cooperate with 11 Turkish universities. There is also a regular exchange of students, teachers, and administrative staff between ASPU and the partner universities under the Erasmus+ program. We hold close relations with international associations, including the Eurasian Association of Universities (EURAS) and the Caucasus Association of Universities (KUNIB). We are also a member of the European Teacher Education Network (ETEN) and the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP).

“We have already talked about cooperation with the George Washington University. This academic year, four of our students will study for one semester at the University College of Denmark as part of Erasmus+.”

"In conclusion, can you tell our readers about your priorities and goals for the next century?"

"The idea of national leader Heydar Aliyev that "social progress will largely depend on what and how we teach our younger generation today" has become the slogan of our pedagogical approach today.

“After the anniversary celebration, we will continue to improve the measures contributing to the recognition of our university internationally, as one of the main directions of development. We will also continue to introduce the digital education systems and foreign languages as fundamental elements of the education process, as well as to improve the commitment of the teaching staff to national and spiritual values.

“All these ideas will be part of the ASPU strategy till 2030 and will serve to keep ASPU a university dedicated to traditions and open to innovation."