Baku – Nearly half of Azerbaijan’s math teachers who failed the national certification exam were trained by questionable international universities—many of which no longer operate—according to Education Minister Emin Amrullayev.
Speaking at the “Certification 2025: A Professional Teacher – Quality Education” conference, Amrullayev revealed that 44% of underperforming math teachers received their diplomas from so-called international universities. “These institutions either no longer exist or have long abandoned teacher training altogether,” the minister noted.
He also named several local universities whose graduates consistently performed poorly, including:
Ganja State University
Ganja State Pedagogical University
Azerbaijan Technical University
Sheki Branch of Baku State University
But while the minister pointed fingers at failed institutions, critics argue the problem runs much deeper. For years, Azerbaijan’s teacher training system has suffered from weak oversight, lax accreditation standards, and political neglect. The result: thousands of graduates entering classrooms without the skills needed to teach core subjects like mathematics.
Education experts say that blaming defunct universities is too little, too late, and conveniently ignores the Ministry’s own role in allowing unqualified programs to operate for years. “Where was the regulation then?” one education analyst asked. “You can’t suddenly discover the house is on fire after letting it burn for a decade.”
There are also concerns that the new certification system is being used not as a tool for reform, but as a smokescreen to shift blame away from the Ministry’s longstanding inaction. Instead of investing in retraining or systemic reform, critics say, authorities are scapegoating struggling teachers, many of whom had little choice in their educational pathways.
As Azerbaijan rolls out its “Certification 2025” initiative, educators and watchdogs alike are demanding not just new tests, but new leadership, transparency, and a long-overdue reckoning with the broken foundations of the country’s teacher training system.
