Nigar Baimova

Project goal

This project aims at addressing the main current issues of concern in primary and secondary education system of Azerbaijan, such as issues of equity in education,
increasing rate of drop-outs; provide policy recommendations following a research-based evidence. The research results are summarised in the research
paper available from http://www.policy.hu/baimova/index.html

Summary of Recommendations for consideration

The following steps are recommended as a starting point for dealing with the problems:
 

• Gather Information. First of all, the dimensions of the problem should be documented, new enrolment rates need to be examined carefully and a household survey to estimate the extent of drop-outs should be conducted.

• Create Awareness - Information campaign among policy makers, educators and service providers at all levels of the system to bring the problem of drop-outs to their attention and urge them to think over the steps they can take to overcome the problems; Media campaign to create awareness.

• Develop a plan of action to deal with problems. Organise a special department/agency to deal with the problem, including representatives from all levels of the education and youth/sports NGOs, communities etc.

• Train actors at the different levels of the system and develop targeted programs, where children who have dropped out of school for several years can complete their schooling. Develop school programs to accommodate the needs of working children, to develop homes to meet demand of street children.

• Education Spending - The Government should assess the incidence of public education spending to examine the extent to which it is biased against the poor and introduce methods to redress imbalances.

• Improve the quality of education -The Government should assess the sustainability of current teacher/student ratios and the need to increase average levels of teacher pay in the public system. At a minimum, teach/student ratios should not be allowed to increase in coming years, and the objective should be to reduce them.

• Increase standards in Education - The Ministry of Education should take a stronger oversight role in ensuring that enrollment levels and quality are maintained at a minimum standard in all regions.

• The provision of adequate classrooms and teachers in accessible schools is an important condition for universal education, but other, complementary measures are necessary to ensure that all children actually attend school. Parents need to be encouraged and convinced to send their children to school and compulsory education laws need to be enforced. The same should be done with child labour laws.

• Incentives to increase children participation in education -distribution of school meals to the refugee children or very poor children can be a strong incentive for them to enrol and attend regularly. School feeding programmes could become an effective way to involve parents in school affairs and improve school-community relations. When parents are motivated and involved in school life, the education of their children benefits. This practice is in practice in most countries and could be sponsored either by food aid organisations or by using local resources.

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