AZE.US
Private tutoring cannot be banned in Azerbaijan, Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev said.
According to him, parents have the right to arrange additional lessons for their children in mathematics, foreign languages, chemistry or other subjects. The minister said there is nothing wrong with private tutoring as a service.
“Is this bad? No, there is nothing bad about it,” Amrullayev said.
At the same time, the minister stressed that a serious problem arises when the same teacher teaches a student at school in the morning and then provides paid private tutoring to the same child after classes.
“If the same teacher is both the school teacher and the private tutor for that student, this is a serious problem. This should not happen,” he said.
Amrullayev noted that the high demand for private tutors is linked not only to the school system, but also to university admissions and the way higher education is viewed in Azerbaijani society.
According to the minister, admission to university is often seen as the main measure of a graduate’s success. When around 100,000 to 140,000 people want to enter higher education institutions, but the number of available places is about 60,000, strong competition becomes inevitable.
This competition, he said, pushes families to seek additional preparation outside school.
Parents also say it is difficult to prepare for university entrance exams without private tutors. They cite overloaded classes, difficult programs and limited time for teachers to fully explain the material at school.
Education experts believe that demand for tutoring can be reduced by improving the quality of school education and changing the university admission format. One proposal is to reduce the number of entrance exam subjects to two or three, as practiced in some other countries.
Experts also point to the need to review teachers’ workload and salaries so they can focus more on school education rather than private lessons.
The debate over tutoring in Azerbaijan remains open. Some see it as an unavoidable part of the current education system, while others believe the solution lies in strengthening schools and reforming university admissions.
AZE.US