Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simayi-Sarraf, made a statement yesterday regarding education issues in Azerbaijan.
Following this, the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued a statement, declaring that it is nothing more than an attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs.
Speaking to AzEdu.az on the topic, Ilgar Orujov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Young Scientists, Doctoral Students and Masters, and Doctor of Philosophy, noted that claiming that dress code hinders education is an approach completely distant from the fundamental principles of education management:
"The opposition of Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simayi Sarraf, to the unified school uniform standards applied in Azerbaijan and his invitation of Azerbaijani girls to their universities under the guise of the right to education is unacceptable from the perspective of the fundamental principles of international law, sovereignty, and the principle of non-interference of states in each other's internal affairs.
The official statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan in response to this call firmly demonstrates the sovereign inviolability of the state's internal education policy and its independent management will. As stated by the Ministry, these claims made by an official of a foreign state are not only completely inappropriate but also nothing more than an attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and national education strategy. In the modern legal sphere, no external country, as well as no subject, is allowed to interfere in our country's internal legislation, including the disciplinary rules of general education institutions, and our state resolutely prevents such inappropriate and unlawful pressure tendencies.
According to the general education legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the unified school uniform is a secular regulatory mechanism that equalizes the socio-economic differences of students in the classroom environment, strengthens pedagogical discipline, and maintains democratic balance in the education system. These rules are determined by the official bodies of the state, taking into account the physical and psychological development patterns of children and the health standards of the educational environment. Claiming that the dress code hinders education is an approach completely distant from the fundamental principles of education management. On the contrary, the Azerbaijani state ensures that every citizen, especially girls, receives quality, secular, and safe education, and protects academic independence and gender equality in the country as the basis of its human capital strategy.
On the other hand, a foreign state official targeting secular education principles in Azerbaijan creates deep legal contradictions. As fairly emphasized in the official statement, despite the fact that approximately 40 million of Iran's population consists of ethnic Azerbaijanis, this large contingent has been completely deprived of the right to fundamental primary, secondary, and higher education in their native language for decades. An official of a system that does not ensure the fundamental native language and educational rights of millions of people within its borders and does not fulfill the requirements of international humanitarian conventions, making such a claim against the independent, secular, and education-guaranteeing Azerbaijani state is an attempt to interfere in our country's internal affairs and political manipulation.
I believe that in the face of modern challenges confronting the education system and society as a whole, Azerbaijan will continue to protect its secular education model, national value system, and the supremacy of internal school disciplinary rules. In an era where an international internal competitive environment is developing in our universities and global education standards are being applied, the unequivocal rejection of such external, unlawful, and biased statements by the country's public and parent communities is a clear indicator of public trust in the education system in the country. Every rule applied in education management is a sovereign right of the state, and this model serves both the intellectual development of the young generation and their upbringing as secular, tolerant, and competitive individuals."
