AZE.US
Azerbaijan’s current higher education model has become outdated and should be revised, lawmaker Jeyhun Mammadov has said.
The debate was sparked by figures indicating that 13% of students admitted to universities with entrance scores between 500 and 700 points were unable to complete their studies.
The data has renewed discussion over whether Azerbaijan should adopt a system in which university admission is relatively accessible but graduation is more demanding.
At present, the most intense competition takes place during the university entrance process, while the majority of admitted students eventually receive their degrees.
Speaking to Globalinfo.az, Mammadov said one of the main problems was the way families and young people viewed higher education.
For many students, he said, entering a university is treated as the final objective rather than the beginning of a demanding academic process.
“Young people make enormous efforts before entering university, work hard and demonstrate their potential. However, after admission, in many cases we no longer see the same enthusiasm and effort,” Mammadov said.
The lawmaker did not support making university admission excessively easy, warning that such an approach could create additional problems.
He noted that the government allocates public funds to education, while parents also spend significant amounts on their children’s studies.
According to Mammadov, families and students must change their attitudes toward education and understand why they are studying and what they expect to gain from attending university.
“The model currently used in Azerbaijan is already outdated and needs to be changed,” he said. “The question of which model should replace it requires a separate and extensive public discussion.”
AZE.US