AZE.US
Azerbaijani politician Tural Abbasly has criticized claims that the presence of working students demonstrates that the country has sufficient job opportunities, arguing that many young people take jobs because they need money rather than because suitable work-study conditions exist.
Abbasly, chairman of the Ag Party, also known as the White Party, made the comments in an interview with Musavat TV, according to Vesti Baku.
“A student should study and become a specialist. If the student is working, when is there time to study, rest and live?” Abbasly said.
He cited examples of students working shifts lasting eight to 10 hours for monthly pay of about 400 to 450 manats. Abbasly presented those figures as examples rather than as comprehensive statistics on student wages.
His comments focused on young people employed in shops and cafes, where long shifts can make it difficult to attend classes, study independently and recover between workdays.
Abbasly also rejected the idea that relocating universities from central Baku would, by itself, solve the capital’s transportation problems.
He said moving campuses farther from the center could leave students with longer commutes and higher expenses for transportation or housing.
Any proposal to relocate universities should first account for where students live and how they travel to classes, he said.
Source: Vesti Baku, citing Musavat TV.