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National Tempus Office Head: Azerbaijani universities’ great interest can fully help to use EU educational programs

Society Materials 2 April 2010 17:50 (UTC +04:00)
More interest in Tempus programme from universities in Azerbaijan may increase the chances of projects being funding by the European Union, the head of the National Tempus Office Parviz Bagirov believes.
National Tempus Office Head: Azerbaijani universities’ great interest can fully help to use EU educational programs

Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr.2 / Trend, E. Ostapenko /

More interest in Tempus programme from universities in Azerbaijan may increase the chances of projects being funding by the European Union, the head of the National Tempus Office Parviz Bagirov believes. 

"We'd like to see more interest. EU programs can be considered as a big "pot" from which everyone can benefit as much as they can," Bagirov said in an interview to Trend.

Azerbaijan joined the Tempus program - one of the best-funded and long-term programs of the European Union - in 1995. Tempus supports the modernization of higher education and promotes university-to-university cooperation between EU and partner countries.

The last phase of the program Tempus IV in Azerbaijan covers the period from 2008 to 2013. The EU allocates around 35-39 million euros per year for funding of this programme.

The main reason for the lack of involvement of Azerbaijani universities in Tempus program Bagirov considers the fact that projects within this program, as well as main part of other donors' projects, are prepared in foreign languages - English, French or German.

"Those people in the universities, which can create projects, firstly teaching staff and professors who are the main generators of ideas, does not speak foreign language," he said stressing also "general apathy".

So far, about 22 Tempus projects have been funded, Bagirov said.

All the projects of the program are divided into two main types:

- Structural measures, that focuses on structural changes in Azerbaijan's general education policy;

- Joint European projects, implemented between universities to promote any programs within university.

According to Bagirov, practice of European higher education institutions shows that active students should be involved for writing projects, to overcome language and communication problems.

"Unfortunately, there is still a wall between teachers and students in Azerbaijan. We need more time in order to gradually overcome this negative tendency" - he said.

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