According to the new decision, diplomas, certificates, and their supplements for higher, secondary specialized, vocational, and general education levels will be formed as electronic documents with legal force. The majority of students have not reacted positively to this decision.
Education expert Ramin Nurəliyev, commenting on the topic to AzEdu.az, stated that in some higher education institutions, the issuance of certificates and diplomas could not be carried out on time:
"When we look at international practice, we see that in many countries, diplomas and certificates are presented in electronic form. Electronic diplomas have several positive aspects. One of these is time-saving and ensuring convenience for citizens. Individuals receive their diploma or certificate on time and can take their next steps accordingly.
For example, imagine a student completing a higher education institution in June but receiving their diploma in October. This created problems for the student when applying to the next level of education, as some international higher education institutions directly require a diploma and did not accept certificates issued due to the absence of a diploma.
In some higher education institutions, the issuance of diplomas and certificates could not be carried out on time. The university would issue the diploma in October, but the student needed to submit their diploma in June to apply for a master's degree and was unable to do so.
According to the current rules, the student's diploma will now be provided in electronic, digitized form within 10 working days. The student will be able to use this electronic diploma when applying to any level of education, including the master's level".
Digitized diplomas will create promising opportunities for students:
"One of the positive aspects of electronic diplomas is the prevention of fraud. It is relatively easy to forge diplomas in paper format. Digitized diplomas, however, allow for the determination of their authenticity and legality through a special QR code on them. When the QR code is scanned, it clearly identifies which institution issued the diploma, which will significantly contribute to preventing fraud.
There are many positive aspects. A digitized diploma creates promising opportunities for students in any field. It is possible to use an electronic diploma conveniently. For example, there are currently certain problems related to military service. Physically submitting the diploma sometimes took time. However, obtaining the diploma in electronic form within 10 working days will allow the student to submit the diploma on time.
In practice, when a student went for military service, they had to give a power of attorney to their parent, who then had to collect the diploma from the university and submit it to the relevant institutions. This created additional time and difficulty. There will no longer be a need for this. The electronic diploma can also be submitted directly and conveniently for military service. This will positively impact both time-saving and the more efficient execution of processes".
