Azerbaijan, Baku, 10 April / corr. Trend J. Babayeva/ The program to develop higher education has been submitted to the Azerbaijani government, said Misir Mardanov, the education minister of Azerbaijan on 10 April in the international conference at the second stage of Azerbaijan's joining to the Bologna system.
Azerbaijan has joined the Bologna system since 2005. The key principles of Bologna Declaration are to provide double-stage education, to establish a transparent system of education crediting and control over the quality of education.
According to the minister, all higher schools will have their own development program after the state program is approved by the President.
Changes will be made to the management structure of higher schools in the future, he said. "Unfortunately, there is still the soviet system of management in several higher schools. The Ministry of Education is prepared to take risky measures in this regard," said the minister.
According to the minister, there are problems in financing and managing higher schools. "All higher schools will transfer to individual financing and independent management in the future which will contribute to the quality of education," the minister said.
On 31 January, the president of Azerbaijan signed a decree to take measures to integrate the higher schools of Azerbaijan into the European education system.
A working group has been set up to develop the Government Program on Reforms in the Higher Education System of the Azerbaijan Republic for 2008-2012.
The Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan and the subordinates of the higher schools are required to develop the Government Program on the Reforms in the Higher Education System of the Azerbaijan Republic for 2008-2012 and to submit it to the Cabinet of Ministers by 30 March 2008.
According to the decree, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan is responsible for signing the international agreements serving the realization of the Bologna process in Azerbaijan and the integration of higher schools of Azerbaijan to that of Europe.
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