Azerbaijan, Baku, 11 June / corr. Trend S.Babayeva / Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani President, has signed a decree to adopt the 'State program on computerization of education system in Azerbaijan in 2008- 2012'.
This program covers the establishment of a united national education environment with wider introduction of modern information and communication technologies and provision of qualitative education for all people.
The state program includes improvement of material and technical base of educational institutions, their equipment with computers, development of intranets and access to Internet, establishment of electronic methodological educational supplies for all disciplines, e-learning database, information and resource centre on the application of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education, united educational portal, measures on development of distance learning in the country, computerization of educational management system, increase of the number of potential personnel and improvement of the legislative basis.
Coordinating body of the state program is the Ministry of Education.
At present, all high education schools and 82% of 4,562 secondary schools of the country, 42% of 107 technical secondary schools, and 91% of 52 specialty schools are provided with the computers. As of end 2007, one computer accounts for 24 pupils among 5-11 classes of secondary schools in the country, and one for 28 students in the state high education schools.