Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU) is facing a serious academic downturn, with 956 students failing their exams during the latest session and the number of Presidential Scholarship recipients falling sixfold, according to education expert Kamran Asadov.
Asadov told Qaynarinfo that the figures signal not an isolated failure but a symptom of systemic weaknesses within the higher education sector.
“Nine hundred fifty-six failed students are not just numbers – they reflect deep structural deficiencies in the learning system,” he said.
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He noted that the issue lies not with students but with the quality of instruction, motivation, and internal monitoring mechanisms.
“If only 22 out of 146 Presidential Scholars maintain high results, that indicates problems within the education system itself,” Asadov added.
While AMU remains one of the country’s most demanding institutions, the expert argued that such widespread failure cannot be justified by the difficulty of its curriculum alone.
“The grading approach is often based on testing endurance rather than fostering development,” he explained, citing the lack of constructive feedback and student support mechanisms required under Article 13.2.7 of the Law on Education.
Despite high entrance scores – AMU students averaged above 650 points in 2024 – their potential is, according to Asadov, “stifled by excessive theoretical workload and stress.”
He contrasted this with international models: Finland and Germany’s formative assessment systems, the academic advising structure in U.S. universities, and the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method widely used in the United Kingdom.
“In Azerbaijan, exams often turn from a learning process into a tool of selection,” Asadov said, adding that the psychological climate in universities also affects performance. Many students reportedly describe classes as unmotivating and relationships with professors as overly disciplinary.
Asadov emphasized that, under Article 18 of the Law on Higher Education, academic environments must be built on freedom, mutual respect, and transparency – principles he says are not always upheld.
“The root problem lies in outdated teaching methodologies,” he concluded. “If Azerbaijan Medical University adopts modern international standards – such as the British PBL model that centers on critical thinking and problem-solving – it could significantly reduce failure rates and raise the overall quality of medical education.”
