The increasing number of private educational institutions in Azerbaijan necessitates the application of a unified approach to teachers' activities. Bakhtiyar Aliyev, a deputy of the Milli Majlis, brought this issue to the agenda at a meeting of the parliamentary Science and Education Committee.
He stated that the employment of teachers who have not passed certification in state schools in private educational institutions raises questions. Therefore, it was considered important to involve teachers working in private schools in certification as well.
It is interesting to know, is it really important to involve teachers working in private schools in certification as well?
Regarding the topic, Ilgar Orujov, Doctor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Young Scientists, Doctoral Students, and Masters, gave a statement to AzEdu.az.
A private school may be fee-paying, but the student is a citizen of the state. The teacher who prepares them is also obliged to meet the state's unified standard:
"I believe that this proposal put forward by Mr. Bakhtiyar can be regarded as an important step towards the unification of standards between the public and private sectors in the Azerbaijani education system. I did not coincidentally mention the existence of unified standards between the public and private sectors. I think that this approach can lead to the development of the private sector as a whole within the framework of state expectations. At the same time, the standardization of standards can further strengthen and accelerate competition.
The implementation of certification in private schools, however, can be remembered for various effects. Certification carried out by the state can play the role of an external monitoring mechanism, ensuring that teachers meet minimum professional standards, regardless of the private sector's internal evaluation mechanisms. That is, the state sets certain minimum standards for teachers. A teacher working in a private school may possess higher professionalism than this standard, but at least that minimum level is already established. This is a very correct approach.
Considering that students participate in state exams, such as graduation exams, it may be required by the state that the teachers preparing them also possess a unified methodological base. That is, the state can say that this is the standard I have set, and if you are preparing a student for this exam for a certain fee, you must work in accordance with those minimum state standards. After all, this child is a citizen of my country, and you must make an effort to operate within the minimum requirements set by the state. Alongside this, the attitude and approach towards teachers should also be formed within this framework.
At the same time, certification, even though these teachers work in private educational institutions, will encourage them to constantly work on themselves and master modern teaching methods."
If unified certification is not implemented, international accreditations such as IB or Cambridge are the most effective alternative. These programs impose such rigorous training and assessment requirements on teachers that this in itself signifies a high professional qualification:
"Alongside this, it should be noted that alternative approaches also exist here. For example, if a unified state certification is not implemented, by what means can private schools maintain and develop their professional level? Various mechanisms are possible in this direction.
Firstly, international accreditation can serve as an important and effective alternative means. This can, in a certain sense, be regarded as a tool that can also replace a unified certification model. International accreditation refers to a school joining international educational programs such as, for example, the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge. Membership in such programs creates sufficiently serious international training, preparation, and assessment requirements for teachers.
In other words, the standards of these programs require a high level of professionalism from teachers and also impose certain obligations on the school. Thus, participation in international programs such as IB and Cambridge itself becomes an important mechanism ensuring teachers' professional development and the quality of teaching. At the same time, the regular evaluation of a teacher's activity based on student achievements, parent satisfaction, and open lessons can also be considered an important mechanism. This is essentially an internal evaluation model.
Furthermore, the implementation of independent audit mechanisms in private schools can also serve as one of the important tools. That is, periodic inspections conducted by independent audit bodies operating in the specialized education sector would allow for a more objective evaluation of schools' activities. The involvement of such audits can contribute additionally to both the quality of management and the professional development of teachers. Inspections carried out in this direction can be used as a separate indicator in evaluating the activities of educational institutions."
If a 35 percent additional payment is considered a "financial burden" rather than a "professional staff" for the school, this means the risk of a high-scoring teacher remaining unemployed.
"At the same time, as Mr. Bakhtiyar noted, this proposal may also create certain additional effects. For example, the model of providing teachers with additional payments ranging from 10 to 35 percent based on certification results can affect the financial policy of private schools. Thus, in some cases, schools may be forced to increase tuition fees collected from parents to ensure these additional payments.
This issue can create certain risks, especially for smaller private schools. Because schools with limited financial resources may have to increase tuition fees to provide additional payments to teachers, which could ultimately increase the financial burden on parents.
Here, certain risks may also arise for medium and small-budget schools. Because additional payments such as 10% or 35% can create a sufficiently serious financial burden for the school's overall budget. From this perspective, the issue should also be approached through the prism of risk assessment.
On the other hand, in such a situation, some schools, to avoid the financial burden, may be inclined to hire teachers who scored lower in certification instead of prioritizing those who achieved high results. For example, situations may arise where a teacher who scored lower and does not create an additional financial obligation is chosen instead of a teacher who scored high in certification and earned the right to a 35% additional payment.
In general, it should be noted that this approach and the proposed suggestion are quite progressive and open for discussion. Although the full implementation of this proposal is not on the agenda for today, conducting a broader public discussion of it in the future could be beneficial. Because through such discussions, both the advantages and potential risks of this initiative can be evaluated in more detail."
Unfortunately, sometimes even individuals without relevant diplomas open and work in private preschool institutions. The implementation of minimum standards is absolutely essential to raise the situation to a satisfactory level, especially in this area:
"Alongside this, the existence of minimum standards is absolute. These standards must be implemented. Their financial mechanism, that is, whether additional payments are 10% or 35%, can be discussed as a secondary issue. The main issue is to ensure minimum quality standards in the field of education.
These requirements should also apply specifically to private preschool educational institutions. Unfortunately, in some cases, the situation in this area is not satisfactory. Sometimes, any person opens a private preschool institution, and some of the individuals working there do not possess the relevant qualifications or diplomas in that field.
In general, the regulation of the activities of the private sector providing educational services within certain standards should not be perceived as a bureaucratic obstacle, but rather as an innovation serving to ensure quality. We must be open to such regulatory and development-oriented approaches."
