AZE.US
Azerbaijan is discussing ways to reduce pressure on universities in Baku and expand higher education opportunities in the regions.
Science and Education Minister Emin Amrullayev said in a joint interview with television channels that the issue should not be seen only as the direct relocation of universities from the capital, Vesti Baku reports.
According to the minister, a more realistic approach is to gradually regulate student admission plans by increasing opportunities in regional universities and reducing pressure on higher education institutions in Baku.
Amrullayev said the number of students in universities outside the capital is already growing.
He cited several examples, including the construction of a new campus at Ganja State University, the opening of Karabakh University, and the growing number of students at Nakhchivan State University and Lankaran State University.
The minister also mentioned the Zagatala branch of Azerbaijan State University of Economics, known as UNEC.
At the same time, Amrullayev noted that some universities in Baku have deep historical roots and are more than 100 years old. He said that in such cases, a full relocation may not be the right solution.
Instead, he said the focus should be on reducing the student load in certain universities while improving the quality of education.
The minister also said that tuition fees in Azerbaijan remain relatively low compared with many other places. However, he stressed that low cost should not come at the expense of educational quality.
Amrullayev pointed to SABAH groups as one of the tools used to improve standards. He said the state allocates additional funding for these programs to support higher-quality education.
According to the minister, the main goal of current reforms is to raise the quality of higher education without creating serious social dissatisfaction, while also encouraging more students to study in the regions.
He said some regional universities already provide strong education in certain fields and may even perform better than some institutions located in Baku.
Amrullayev said he sees the regulation of admission plans as the most realistic scenario: more seats in regional universities and relatively fewer places in Baku.
He also did not rule out the opening of new higher education institutions in the regions if relevant decisions are made.
AZE.US