Maleyka Abbaszade, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SEC, stated that although applicants have the opportunity to change their specialty group, the number of those who take advantage of this opportunity is very small.
This issue has created new discussions about career guidance, students' accurate assessment of their potential, and the effectiveness of guidance work carried out in schools.
Why do the vast majority of applicants hesitate to change their specialty group or not use this opportunity?
Gunay Akbarova, a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education, told AzEdu.az that the issue here is not only whether there is an opportunity to change the specialty group, but also how much the student knows himself and how much support he receives when making a decision:
“In Azerbaijan, some applicants, when choosing a specialty group, rely more on the concept of “prestigious field” formed by society, parental guidance, or the influence of their peer group. Later, they realize that the direction they have chosen does not fully match their real interests and abilities, but they are already reluctant to make changes. Because this change is sometimes perceived as “failure”. However, in world practice, redefining the direction is considered a very normal stage of development.
On the other hand, students also have psychological barriers such as “I will waste time”, “it will be difficult to start over”, “my family will not agree”. Especially for an adolescent under exam pressure, changing direction sometimes seems like a risk. However, when the right direction is not chosen, loss of motivation at university, dissatisfaction with the profession, and even career changes are experienced more often. Sometimes a student shows high results in mathematics, but is interested in social fields, or vice versa. The decision is simply made based on the score. But the score is not always a complete indicator of potential.
In world practice, especially in countries like Finland, Canada, and Singapore, career guidance is not only carried out in the 11th grade. Students' interests, abilities, and character traits are observed from an earlier age. Career counselors, psychologists, and mentor teachers work together in schools. The student is not just looking for an answer to the question “which group should I choose?”, but to the question “in which environment can I be more successful and happy?”
The results of our trial exams should also be used analytically, not just for score comparison:
“It is not enough to just tell the student “you have scored such and such a score”. Their strengths and weaknesses should be explained to them. For example, in which type of questions they are more successful, which skills come to the fore, in which areas their development potential is seen, etc. For this, psychological services and academic guidance in schools should work in a connected way, not separately.
At the same time, working with parents is also very important. Because sometimes the student wants to change, but the family prevents it with the thought “you chose once, continue”. However, making the right decision, even if late, is more beneficial than continuing in the wrong direction for years. The education system should instill in the student a culture of choice, not fear. Because career choice is not just a university choice, it is a serious decision that affects a person's future quality of life.”
