President enacts education development strategy
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the approval of State Education Development Strategy.
The strategy is aimed at the creation of an economically stable education system with infrastructure based on up-to-date technologies, staffed with qualified teachers and taking a leading position in quality indices among other countries.
The Cabinet of Ministers was given five months to submit a plan on the strategy implementation. Every year a report on the process of the strategy implementation is to be submitted to the President of Azerbaijan by March 1.
The strategy's directions include the creation of effective education while applying innovations and new technologies, the creation of transparent and fair administration system on the basis of public and private partnership, as well as establishment of new education financing mechanisms.
The strategic aims include preparation of educational standards and curriculums; preparation of educational standards and curriculums for pre-school education; preparation and implementation of the programs of pedagogical and psychological education "Qualified parents"; transition to 12-year secondary education with preparation of special standards; preparation of special programs for talented children and programs for education of children with limited physical abilities.
The strategic targets also cover introduction of standards and curriculums for initial professional and specialized secondary education; establishment of education-research-innovation centers in higher educational institutions; providing independence for higher educational institutions; incentives to promote additional education; creation of a system of teachers' remuneration that is competitive at the labor market and differentiated depending on qualification and achieved results.
Also envisioned are internships for teachers; education and development of skills under an individual plan; introduction of compulsory one-year pre-school training of children with compulsory pre-school education covering up to 90 percent of the children; establishment of parents and teachers' associations, administrator and superintendent councils in educational institutions.