Maleyka Abbaszadeh, Chair of the Board of Directors of the SEC, noted that in the future, foreign language speaking skills may also be evaluated.
How will this change affect students' preparation strategy? What are the main shortcomings in the development of speaking skills in schools in Azerbaijan and what should be done to eliminate them?
Education expert Elchin Murad, commenting on the topic to AzEdu.az, noted that there is actually a need for this initiative:
"The idea put forward by Ms. Maleyka is one of the important steps taken in the field of education. This project can play a serious stimulating role, especially for students preparing for TOEFL or IELTS exams. If the basic skills of English - "reading", "speaking", "listening" and "writing" - are taught systematically from secondary school, it will greatly contribute to the improvement of students' language level. Currently, schools mainly apply text work, grammar and "writing", i.e. essay writing. Only the speaking part is not sufficiently developed.
If the teaching of speaking skills is also organized correctly, applicants can reach a higher level in English. This will create an advantage for students who want to apply to foreign universities and succeed in IELTS or TOEFL exams.
The main issue is the correct and effective implementation of the planned project. For this, the efforts of the State Examination Center alone will not be enough. The Ministry of Science and Education should also actively join this process and the system should be implemented starting from secondary schools. Otherwise, applicants will again face an additional preparation burden in the last one or two years, which can cause them fatigue and boredom. Overall, the initiative is a positive and promising step".
