In Azerbaijan, the budget of higher education institutions is tied to the student.
AzEdu.az reports that this was stated by Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev during his speech at the opening ceremony of the XXVIII Republican Scientific Conference of Doctoral Students and Young Researchers (NASCO XXVIII) held at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University.
According to the Minister, if we increase the number of admitted students, both in terms of management and finance, but do not accompany this increase with quality, the level of education consequently decreases:
"This also negatively affects the development of universities and the education system as a whole in the long term. Therefore, the goal should not be to artificially increase the number of students, but rather to optimize the admission plan, and by somewhat reducing the number of students, increase the resources and attention allocated to each student. As a result of this approach, it will be possible to work with higher quality, well-prepared, and motivated students."
E. Amrullayev added that there should be a long-term strategy, not short-term goals, related to this. Our desire is to create more connections between higher education and science. In this direction, there is a significant increase in quality alongside a quantitative increase."
He also emphasized that this issue is not resolved in the same way worldwide:
"In different countries, and even within the same country, the capabilities and strategies of universities vary. Some universities prioritize mass education, while others are more selective and focus on quality. This depends on the strategic decision made by each higher education institution."
