Baku, August 23 — The numbers speak louder than any official speech. In just three years, Azerbaijan’s schools have lost over 5,000 teachers. From 151,634 in 2022/23, the figure has dropped to 146,381 this academic year. Behind this slow bleed of talent lies a deeper crisis: teaching in Azerbaijan is no longer seen as a profession worth staying in.
For decades, governments have declared education a “national priority.” Yet, salaries remain uncompetitive, career growth is stagnant, and the working conditions push many to abandon classrooms for better-paying jobs in other fields. The state boasts about “digital transformation in schools,” but digital tools are meaningless if there are fewer qualified teachers left to use them.
The gender breakdown is even more telling. Women, who make up the majority of teachers, are leaving in alarming numbers — from 124,840 in 2023/24 to 120,633 this year. For many, the choice is not ideological but purely economic: why stay in a profession that fails to provide dignity or financial security? Men, who already make up a minority in education, are also walking away.
The shortage is not just a statistic; it is a social time bomb. Rural schools struggle to find subject teachers. Students in regions risk graduating without proper foundations in science, math, or foreign languages. The burden falls on the remaining staff, who are forced to juggle multiple classes, often teaching outside their specialization.
Other countries faced similar crises — and acted. In Poland, teacher salaries were boosted by nearly 30% in just two years to stop an exodus. In South Korea, the government invested heavily in teacher training and raised social prestige for the profession, making teaching a competitive, respected career. Even neighboring Georgia launched incentive programs for rural teachers, offering housing and bonuses to keep classrooms alive.
Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan, officials respond with their favorite medicine: reports, conferences, and slogans. They promise reforms but avoid the only real solution — investing properly in teachers. A teacher who earns enough to live with dignity, who has access to training, who feels respected, will not leave the classroom. Without that, every reform is cosmetic.
Azerbaijan’s future depends not on flashy technology in schools or new curricula written in glossy brochures, but on the people who stand in front of students every morning. Today, those people are leaving. And unless the state acts decisively, tomorrow’s classrooms may remain full of children — but empty of teachers.
