Yesterday, it was proposed in the Milli Majlis to hold a hearing regarding graduates who studied abroad.
It is interesting to consider, in line with global educational trends, which areas of autonomy it would be appropriate to grant to universities for the more operative opening of new specializations?
According to Honored Teacher and former deputy Sona Aliyeva, who gave a statement to AzEdu.az regarding the topic, Deputy Fariz Ismayilzade rightly emphasizes that today, existing specializations in some universities no longer meet the real demands of the labor market:
"The question arises: how quickly can we adapt to a changing world, and to what extent can we flexibly open new specializations? The reality is that the world has already entered a new phase. Artificial intelligence, automation, and digitalization processes, whether we want them to or not, are fundamentally changing our lives, the labor market, and the education system. It is necessary not to be passive observers in the face of these processes, but to adapt to them.
If universities limit themselves to maintaining only existing specializations, in the near future they will be preparing young people for professions that have already lost their relevance. This will lead to both a waste of time and inefficient use of human capital.
One of the main problems of higher education institutions today is their inability to respond to the changing labor market in a timely manner. Therefore, universities should be granted the authority to formulate and operatively update their curricula. This is because sometimes a specialization loses its relevance by the time it passes through the official approval process, even though universities themselves are the quickest to identify the real needs of the market.
At the same time, the opening of new specializations and short-term programs, particularly in artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, green economy, and digital fields, should be possible through more flexible mechanisms. These areas do not fit within classic frameworks, and lengthy authorization procedures hinder development".
The opportunities for universities to collaborate with industry and the labor market should also be expanded.
"Programs developed jointly with companies, applied courses, and dual degree models should be implemented without lengthy centralized approval processes.
Furthermore, flexibility in personnel policy is of particular importance. Involving specialists with real-world experience in their field in the teaching process enhances the quality of education. Universities should be able to make more independent and operative decisions in this regard".
