"Very active and highly critical": Azerbaijan’s unexpected new education minister
There has been yet another unexpected appointment in Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers, this time to the post of minister of education. The new minister is Emin Amrullayev, known for his critical posts on Twitter.
The position was vacated on July 16, 2020, following two events that many found surprising.
In the first half of the day, the president dismissed Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov, who had served in the post for the past 15 years and was considered an influential figure in the country.
In the latter half of the day, this post was filled by the then Minister of Education, Jeyhun Bayramov. This appointment raised many eyebrows, as Bayramov had no diplomatic experience whatsoever.
Azerbaijan’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, was the minister of education, but is better known as the head of the law firm OMNİ.
The new minister of education has administrative experience in a public position, a relevant educational background and teaching experience.
Emin Amrullayev holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University in the United States.
For some time he taught at universities in Europe, and then returned to his homeland, and for the last four years, has worked as a lecturer at the Caucasus University in Baku (now the Baku Engineering University).
Prior to his appointment as minister, Amrullayev headed the Department of Education Development Programs in the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education, as well as the Institute of Education.
Emin Amrullayev is active on social media, where he often criticizes the authorities.
His appointment was supported by many local independent activists and journalists, although many people continue to comment that the education system needs radical reforms, and not just for its leaders to be replaced.
