Online – September 11, 2025
Speaking on YouTube’s Indi Podcast, writer and commentator Emil Majidov argued that Azerbaijan’s history should be taught exclusively in the state language, even in Russian- and English-language schools, but for reasons deeper than language politics.
“As a deeply Russophone Baku native, I support this move,” Majidov said.
“Not because of the language itself, but because our current school history is a Soviet leftover — flawed, harmful to a modern nation-state. We’ve painted the façade and put in plastic windows, but never rebuilt the house. We need to start over.”
He emphasized that shifting instruction into Azerbaijani is not about “hunting” Russian schools or teachers, but about steadily building capacity in Azerbaijani: new teachers, higher standards, and a modern vocabulary that can cover finance, technology, and science. “Budget money must support the development of the national attribute — the Azerbaijani language,” he said.
Majidov described the change as part of a broader “nationalization” of history, a normal stage for any state that sees itself as sovereign. History, he argued, should become a discipline rooted in Azerbaijani thought and language, not an adapted Soviet template.
From there the discussion widened: the evolution of Turkic languages, the flaws of Soviet linguistic divisions, the role of trade in shaping language, and how artificial intelligence could rewire education. Majidov warned that AI-driven exchanges may reduce productivity as much as they increase it, but also predicted that individualized, AI-built learning paths will eventually transform schools – though only a minority will truly benefit.
In his final remarks, he tied together history, language, and technology with a cultural warning: if Azerbaijan does not create its own intellectual and cultural production in its own language, “someone else will swallow us.”
Source: Indi Podcast (in Russian)
