Azerbaijani Ministry of Education accused of illegal grant distribution
Azerbaijan’s educational and scientific sectors plunged into scandal
Azerbaijan’s educational and scientific sectors have been plunged into scandal. The Ministry of Education has begun to direct the scientific sphere, which, according to some experts, may lead to the Academy of Sciences being weakened. At the same time, a well-known expert has accused the Ministry of Education of distributing grants among public organizations close to officials.
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What happened?
By a decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated July 28, 2022, the Ministry of Education was renamed the Ministry of Science and Education.
According to the document, a state agency for science and higher education, in addition to a state agency for preschool and general education, have been established. These agencies will function under the new ministry.
Twenty-four institutes and more than a dozen other entities, previously subordinate to the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (ANAS), have been reassigned to the Ministry of Science and Education.
The President, in the same decree, also ordered that three museums be reassigned to the Ministry of Culture. Previously these museums had also been under the ANAS.
The Academy of Sciences was thus left without a significant part of its economy.
Passions flare around the Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan attracted media attention after Ramiz Mehdiyev, who previously led the administration of the President of Azerbaijan for many years, was elected President of ANAS in October 2019.
Ramiz Mehdiyev has been called the eminence gris of Azeri society, one of the main figures behind the domestic and foreign policy of the country. He is also known for harboring pro-Russian politics.
Mehdiyev didn’t last long in his new position. In February 2022, by decision of the general meeting of the academy, the 84-year-old academic was relieved of his duties as the head of ANAS.
In July 2022, passions around the academy again flared up. Two main state TV channels in Azerbaijan aired a story about the work of ANAS, in which the Academy of Sciences was severely criticized for its inactivity. This story was repeated by almost all pro-government media in the country.
American-educated minister
After the former Minister of Education of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, was unexpectedly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on the eve of the second Karabakh war, Emin Amrullaev became the new head of the Ministry of Education.
Amrullaev, 40, who holds a diploma from the American Columbia University, is known to the public for his press conferences, where he answers journalists’ questions in a live broadcast. The Minister of Education is the only member of the country’s government who periodically meets with journalists.
But, according to the expert community, so far during the tenure of the new minister there have been no noticeable changes in the country’s educational system. The ministry is also criticized for distributing grants to “favored” public figures.
Expert accuses ministry of illegal grant distribution
A well-known expert in the field of education, Kamran Asadov, has criticized the country’s Ministry of Education for lack of transparency in the distribution of grants.
“Why are funds distributed under the guise of grants among public figures close to the Ministry of Education without announcing open competitions?
“The project, entitled “Agitation of the Open Science platform among young researchers”, was undertaken the Ministry of Education with young scientists, master’s and doctoral students. The cost of the project is 100,000 manats [about $58,800].
“Although the chairman of the society, Ilgar Orujov, refuses to share cost of the project, he states that the competition was announced on the Ministry of Education website in accordance with the rules, that they made a bid and won. But there is no information about this either on the ministry’s website or from sources. Moreover, there is no reporting or information about the project from the organization itself.
“A project against bullying against students was undertaken by the Ministry of Education together with the public union of civil research and development. The cost of that project is 50,000 manats [about $29,400].
“The head of the organization, Gunel Safarova, confirmed the cost of the project and stated that information about this was published in the media. Although there is nothing about it on the Ministry of Education website, some incomplete information is available in the press. The essence of the latter is that a sizeable number of people began to protest schools and teachers after the death of a student named Elina.
“The first of these two people who undertook projects under the Ministry of Education was the secretary of the public council in the ministry during the project period, and the second became the chairman of this council after the project was completed. How can people who have received such large sums from the ministry in the form of grants exercise public control over its activities?
“The media received no response to their requests from the Ministry of Education. And in general, I wonder what other grants and to whom were dispersed by the ministry? Why does the ministry not publish official information on this topic? And is it legal to distribute money to acquaintances and partners without announcing contests, or at best by placing small ads in the corner of one of their official websites for a short time?” Kamran Asadov wrote on his Facebook page.
Azerbaijan’s educational and scientific sectors plunged into scandal
