Azerbaijan postpones the beginning of new academic year

Academic year postponed in Azerbaijan

On September 15, a new academic year usually begins in Azerbaijan. In 2021, it was pushed back by one to two weeks due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation in the country. But at any time, the traditional mode of study can be launched online, the Ministry of Education noted.

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At a briefing with the participation of the Minister of Education of Azerbaijan Emin Amrullayev on September 7 the postponement of the beginning of the academic year was announced.

According to the decision of the Ministry of Education, primary school students will begin their studies on September 22 – a week later than usual. High school students, like university students, will begin the academic year on September 29.

Amrullaev explained this decision by the fact that now the country is facing an unfavorable epidemiological situation and the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is slowly waning. The minister said that the country’s authorities hope for a relatively stable situation with the spread of COVID-19 by the beginning of the school year.

It was also noted that due to the frequency of detection of new infections, the traditional mode of studying can switch to the online mode already tested last academic year at any time.

Unvaccinated teachers will not be permitted to work

To date, 80% of the total number of teachers in the country have been vaccinated, the Minister of Education said. He noted that teachers who refuse to get vaccinated will not be allowed to work.

The only exception will be cases when an unvaccinated teacher presents a certificate of contraindication of the vaccine for health reasons.

Which parents will not be allowed into school buildings?

A decision was made not to allow unvaccinated parents to enter the buildings of educational institutions.

Schoolchildren whose parents are not vaccinated will be admitted to lessons, the Minister of Education added. Thus, he denied the rumors that were circulating in recent days about this.

Also, parents can write a statement to the school management in order not to let their child participate into full-time lessons. Such students will study remotely. To this end, the TV lessons that appeared on the air of the state television will continue with the introduction of online education in 2020.

Full lectures are undesirable

In higher educational institutions, no more than 50-60 students can attend lectures at the same time. Exceeding this number of students will be considered a violation of the quarantine rules.

The presence of a COVID passport for students is considered a prerequisite for their admission to classes.

A COVID passport is an electronic document that is issued to: 1. Individuals vaccinated with both doses of the coronavirus vaccine. This type of COVID passport is unlimited; 2. Those who have had a coronavirus infection in the past six months. The validity period of such a COVID passport is six months.

Special isolation rooms

All educational institutions in Azerbaijan are equipped with special isolation rooms, Education Minister Emin Amrullayev said at a briefing.

These rooms are designed to isolate those who show symptoms of the coronavirus. After they are diagnosed with COVID-19, a special commission will decide whether to quarantine a single class (group) or the entire educational institution.