Education abroad: What is the preference of Azerbaijani students?

Head of Department of Education Abroad and Work with Foreign Citizens at Azerbaijan’s Education Ministry Alipasha Zeynalov says there are two forms of education abroad carried out through state funds in Azerbaijan.

One of the forms of education abroad is the one carried out by the Education Ministry through the state funds, namely the scholarships issued to Azerbaijan citizens under bilateral agreements on education cooperation, Zeynalov said.

"The second form is studying abroad under the "State Programme of Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad in 2007-2015” approved by presidential decree. Currently, 572 Azerbaijani students are studying abroad under this program,” Zeynalov added.

In addition, 789 students are enrolled at foreign universities on basis of bilateral agreements on education cooperation. Azerbaijani students study in countries such as China, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Netherlands, Korea, Sweden, Australia, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Singapore and many others," the ministry’s official said.

Asked about why Azerbaijanis prefer foreign universities to local ones, Zeynalov noted not only Azerbaijanis, but also nationals from many countries across the world choose to study aboard.

"Willingness of some of Azerbaijani youth to study abroad does not point to low level of education in the country. There is significant number of schools in Azerbaijan where teaching is carried out at European level. The interest of some Azerbaijani students to study abroad is due to a usual curiosity, that is, they want to see living conditions of foreigners, their customs and traditions. We can say that this is purely human psychology,” he said.

Asked about to what majors Azerbaijani students studying abroad give preference, the official said interests of Azerbaijani students do not always coincide with those of the state.

“It is noteworthy that earlier education commission at the Azerbaijani President stated that this year students who have chosen medicine, chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics will have more chances in admission to foreign universities. As to the willingness of representatives of Azerbaijani youth, 80% of the students prefer to study humanities. In general, 26.9% of Azerbaijani students are studying abroad in the field of medicine, 15% - in the field of social sciences and humanities, 8.6% - in the field of information technology, 5.6% - in science, 2.4% - in the service sector and 2% - in agriculture and construction," said the source.

Azerbaijan has created all necessary conditions for students to study abroad, the education official noted.

"Under bilateral agreements on education cooperation, students are provided with a hostel to stay and a scholarship. Once a year they can use air transport services free of charge to fly home. Students pay for food through scholarships they receive. As for students who study under the state program, all their expenses are covered by the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (free tuition, accommodation, insurance)," Zeynalov said.

Currently, nearly 6,100 foreign students are studying in Azerbaijan’s higher schools, he added.

"They are citizens of 47 countries including Turkey, Russia, Iran, China, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, India, Georgia, Egypt, South Korea, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, Philippines, Japan, Croatia and Saudi Arabia. Foreign students study in Azerbaijani and Russian languages," he said.

Great majority of foreign students are enrolled in Azerbaijan Medical University.

"As many as 1,142 foreign students are enrolled in Azerbaijan Medical University, 920 students at Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 831 - Baku State University, about 600 - Azerbaijan State Oil Academy and over 500 students in Azerbaijan State Economic University. Foreign students in Azerbaijan do not show interest in technical studies,” Zeynalov underscored.


/Day.Az/