The ideas expressed by Milli Majlis deputy Vasif Qafarov at the last meeting of the Science and Education Committee have generated interest in the educational community. During his speech, he put forward a number of proposals regarding the effectiveness of master's and doctoral levels in higher education, the quality of scientific research, dissertation defense mechanisms, and other important issues.
Education researcher Rasim Həsənzadə spoke to AzEdu.az on the topic.
Our interviewee noted that one of the first and most important steps to be taken in this direction is the creation of a unified national dissertation center based on international experience:
"The ideas expressed by Milli Majlis deputy Vasif Qafarov regarding the master's and doctoral systems in higher education clearly reveal fundamental problems that have been discussed in the academic community for many years but have not found a real institutional solution. In particular, the fact that the vast majority of master's dissertations do not create scientific value is a problem that already indicates the necessity of updating the system, and this issue should be approached with a radical rather than cosmetic changes."
The “YÖKTEZ” model, which has been implemented for many years in the brotherly country of Turkey, is a successful example in this regard. In Azerbaijan, all dissertations written at the master's and doctoral levels should be collected in a unified digital database, these works should be accessible for open reference, and a real control mechanism against topic repetition, plagiarism, and formal research should be established. Today, hundreds of master's dissertations are written, but they neither play a role in scientific circulation nor are used as reference sources for subsequent research. This indicates that scientific continuity is practically non-existent".
Another important and serious problem is related to the mechanism for selecting master's dissertation topics:
"In current practice, topics are mainly determined formally by departments, often based on template titles proposed by the same instructors. The student, in turn, becomes a passive executor in this process. However, the essence of scientific research is that the topic should be based on the student's scientific interests, research potential, and real, current problems. When we look at existing dissertation titles, for example, we see dozens, perhaps hundreds, of master's theses written on the topic “Problems and Solutions of Inclusive Education in Azerbaijan.” But in real life, this problem has neither been solved nor has any serious scientific innovation emerged. This fact once again shows that the relevance of topics and the quality of the research question must be seriously re-evaluated.
At the same time, the rules for writing master's dissertations are completely contrary to modern scientific requirements. The normative document currently in force was prepared by the Ministry in 1999, and it contains restrictions, such as the dissertation not exceeding 75 pages, which have now lost their meaning. Modern scientific research is not merely measured by text volume; methodology, analysis, the database used, citation culture, and the scientific weight of the results play a key role. For this reason, the normative framework related to dissertation writing must be updated, and modern research methods, qualitative and quantitative analyses, international citation systems, and academic writing standards should be reflected in these documents".
At the doctoral level, however, the problems are deeper:
"The two-tier system currently existing in Azerbaijan – Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Sciences – is a relic from the Soviet era and no longer compatible with the international academic environment. In most countries around the world, doctoral studies are based on a single-stage system, and a person who completes doctoral studies directly receives the scientific degree of “doctor.” This system is both more flexible and requires concrete scientific results from the researcher. In Azerbaijan, however, this two-tier model prolongs the scientific process, bureaucratizes it, and increases the number of formal stages.
From this perspective, the transition to a single-stage system at the doctoral level is no longer an option but a necessity. Existing bureaucratic procedures, reporting, and formal seminars should be reduced, and instead, a model focused on real scientific results and training researchers should be implemented. Otherwise, neither the master's nor the doctoral stage will be able to fulfill the primary mission of higher education, which is to train researchers.
Consequently, the issues raised by deputy Vasif Qafarov are not coincidental and now provide a serious basis for systematic decisions. These problems can be solved not only through individual efforts but also through a unified strategic approach and institutional reforms. Otherwise, the formal nature of the dissertation institution in higher education will deepen further, and the problem of scientific quality will persist".
