Document Type
Open Access Capstone
Publication Date
2003
Abstract
The purpose of the paper is to explore the emergence of the reform process in the higher education sector in Azerbaijan to make it more meaningful and to integrate it more closely with the real life of society. The author highlights the significance and the specific role of higher education in the transitional times in the process of democratization and in the development of a market economy in Azerbaijan. The paper examines the major changes in academic governance, University structure and management, in curriculum and instruction as a whole. It depicts the what, the why and the how of changes and innovations in tertiary education.
The author reviews the past conditions of higher education inherited from the soviet era as well current state to clarify the causes for the changes, to make evident the urgency to undertake necessary steps towards implementing basic changes in higher education in order to achieve positive outcomes.
The paper focuses on the domestic initiatives of restructuring higher education in Azerbaijan as well as the international efforts through various forms of worldwide cooperation and educational exchange in the path of the overall reform. The paper gives a thorough picture of the particular projects and programs of various international donors currently functioning in Azerbaijan designated in encouraging innovations and supporting the reform process in higher education. Finally, the author gives policy implications, proposes relevant strategies and recommendations to make reform more relevant to the kind of society we are already beginning to live in, to improve the quality of tertiary education. The data on educational reforms of Azerbaijan includes published literature and online sources.
Pages
91