Imamali Aliyev, a student of Shams Mustafayeva, director of Abida Akbarov Lower Mulki village full secondary school in Tovuz district, who was awarded the title of “Exemplary Teacher” in 2024, scored the highest - 100 points - in history at the Republican Subject Olympiad.
AzEdu.az contacted Imamali, the student who scored 100 points, and also teacher Shams, to learn about their impressions on this occasion.
Imamali Aliyev, who scored 100 points in history, noted that he has shown great enthusiasm for history since his childhood:
“I am a 10th-grade student at S. Iskandarov full secondary general education school in Eyyublu village, Tovuz district. Since childhood, I have shown great enthusiasm for history and have read many books related to this field. I first became acquainted with the Olympiad in the 7th grade, and at that time, teacher Shams took on the responsibility of preparing me. After preparation, I scored 95 points in the first round, advancing to the next stage, and successfully completed the semi-finals, earning first place in the final.
Last year, while studying in the 9th grade, I worked harder, and my goal was to win a gold medal. However, at the last moment, I missed the gold medal by just half a point and had to settle for a silver medal. This year, I managed to score 100 points in the first round, and I am currently in the semi-final stage".
When I looked at the questions during the exam, I felt that the tasks were consistent with the topics I had prepared for
"I even thought that this time I could achieve the maximum result. After the exam, I was already confident that I would score 100 points, and the result was as I expected. To achieve this result, I prepared regularly and systematically. In addition to classes, I read textbooks, reviewed various materials, and worked on tests.
I did not specifically prepare for other exams; my main focus was on the Olympiad. Dedicating extra time to history played a significant role in my success. I am currently preparing for the second specialty group. My goal is a finance specialization. In the future, I want to study at ADA University or Baku Higher Oil School.
My relatives and teachers have always expected high results from me. Since I had successes in previous years, this result pleased them but did not surprise them. The success I achieved further increased my self-confidence, but I try not to become complacent. Because my main goal is a gold medal, and I need to work harder for it. I believe that everything is just beginning.
During the preparation process, there hasn't been any topic that seemed particularly difficult to me. Even if a topic is challenging, I try to master it by working on it. I rarely encounter failure, but even this serves as a stimulus for me to work harder".
To maintain motivation, I prioritize discipline
"Every morning, I plan in my notebook which topics I will dedicate time to during the day. After studying, I take short breaks, and when I learn a certain topic at a high level, I reward myself with small treats.
My future plan is to do my best this year and achieve even greater successes. My advice to those who want to participate in the Republican Subject Olympiad is not to be content with just classes, but to definitely work extra on their own. They should give special importance to their chosen subject, dedicate time to it, and most importantly, not be afraid of the Olympiad's name. They should learn the subject out of love and deeply, not out of compulsion. In this case, achieving success will be more realistic”.
Teacher Shams, who began her pedagogical career as a teacher, started working as a teacher in Andurma village of Lerik district in 2019 and worked in that school for three years:
“In 2022, I scored 56 points in the teacher recruitment exam and started working as a teacher at Sahibskandarov full secondary school in Eyyublu village, Tovuz district. In November of the same year, I participated in the deputy director's exam organized by the Gazakh-Tovuz Regional Education Department and, achieving success, was appointed as deputy director of that school.
Since the position of director at the school was vacant, I also performed the duties of director for three years. Subsequently, by achieving a high result (500+ points) in the director recruitment exam, I was appointed as the director of Habil Alakbarov Lower Mulkulu village full secondary general education school in Tovuz district, effective from September 8, 2025.
Starting from the 2022-2023 academic year, I began preparing students for subject Olympiads. In the first year, several medals were already obtained. In the 2024-2025 academic year, my students won 4 medals: 3 gold and 1 silver. In the current academic year, 11 of my students successfully passed the first stage of the Olympiad. Of them, 5 scored 80+ points, and 1 scored 100 points. I should note that in the previous year, Aliyev Imamali scored 100 points in the first stage and achieved a high result by collecting 117 points out of a maximum of 120 in the second and final stages. Currently, preparation for the second stage with the students continues, and our main goal is to further increase the number of medals.
For me, working with high-achieving students is not a comfort, but rather a double responsibility. Because these children are not ordinary applicants; they are specially selected, purposeful, and ambitious students focused on the Olympiad. There is healthy competition among them, and each strives for 100 points. Working simultaneously with not just one, but several talented students requires the teacher to constantly develop, put in more effort, and always be one step ahead. Frankly, the worldview of these 14–15-year-old students sometimes even surprises me.
In my opinion, the main factor for 100 points is not knowledge. Knowledge is, of course, important, but it is not the decisive factor. The main roles here are played by attention, psychological preparation, anxiety management, and full adaptation to the exam. Often, the difference between a student scoring 80-90 points and a student scoring 100 points consists of just one or two minor oversights”.
The success of students studying in remote village schools, in conditions with weak material and technical resources, is a completely different joy for me
“Compared to urban schools, it creates a great sense of pride when children with limited opportunities, sometimes traveling 50–60 kilometers to attend classes, achieve such results. They work with great determination in both live and online lessons, regardless of cold or winter, and this success is much more valuable to me than ordinary successes.
As for the existing problems, one of the main shortcomings is the frequent change of textbooks. Before a student can fully adapt to a topic, that information is removed from the textbook or new information is added. This creates confusion, fatigue, and loss of motivation in children. Overall, I consider the education system, especially the Olympiad process, to be transparent and fair. In recent years, real opportunities have been created for the selection of capable and knowledgeable students.
I also generally evaluate the assessment mechanism of the RFO exam positively. In the first stage, the questions were relatively easy and even passable for students who were not preparing for the Olympiad, being at the level of an ordinary applicant. However, I think it would be more appropriate if the difficulty level in the first stage were increased slightly. The second stage is already regulated at a high level. For each subject, 60 students nationwide qualify for the final, and 30 of them receive medals. In this stage, not only knowledge but also psychological resilience, attention, and anxiety management play a decisive role. In my opinion, every one of the 60 students who reach the final is already a winner".
