Minister: Low positions of Azerbaijan in some international rankings spark criticism

"Azerbaijan may rank low in some international education assessments, which could spark criticism in some cases," Education Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said at a conference titled "New Exam Model: Reforms, results, expectations."

The minister considers Azerbaijan's low results can not be regarded as a ground for non-participation in such assessments: "I would especially like to mention that not all countries participate in international assessments. Such rankings mostly involve developed countries. Competing with these countries in such rankings requires some courage. We believe that rather than a place claimed by the country in such assessments, it is important for the country to receive comprehensive materials on analytical analysis of the ranking and education factors that affect the country's position. All these materials should be taken into consideration during the reforms."

Bayramov said that the differences between the standards and national and international assessments are among the main points: "The Ministry of Education and the State Examination Center cooperate in this direction. One of the main objectives is to use most of the criteria applied in international assessments while evaluating Azerbaijan's education system."