International conference “Economic Development through Education and Technology”

November 22, 2010


International conference “Economic Development through Education and Technology” was held at Gulustan Palace in Baku by Education Ministry, UNESCO, Microsoft Corporation and Intel Company with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, November 22.


The seminars on the topic were held within the conference at the Azerbaijan University of Languages, Education Complex No 132-134 and Elite Gymnasium.


Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference that brought together representatives from Hungary, Norway, UK and other countries, Minister for Education Misir Mardanov said large measures were taken to apply ICT in education in Azerbaijan under leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Work was done at 3693 schools in frame of the Programme on supply of secondary schools in the republic with ICT in 2005-2007. For this time, over 30.000 computers were given to schools, computer classes created at 1722 schools, teachers from more than 7500 schools involved in trainings.


State Programme for Informatization of Education System in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2008-2012 envisages development of ICT infrastructure in education system, e-management in education, increasing ICT capacities of teachers, improvement of normative legal base.


The Minister mentioned establishment of the Education System Informatization Department under the Ministry and the Information and Resource Center that will contribute to the supply of all schools and fulfill content filtration. Big attention was paid to setting up the education net intranet service, which will let teachers and pupils use sites necessary for education only. Education system in Azerbaijan forms 10% of the Internet users over the country.


E-school pilot project is underway at 30 educational institutions within the state programme. Till 2010, 55680 teachers have acquired ICT skills. By the end of the programme, this figure will reach 114 thousand.


M.Mardanov noted in 2005 information lessons were given in senior classes only, now in primary classes too. We aim to provide a computer to every pupil and we will be making efforts to get this goal in the very near future.


He informed of National Computer Programme performed by the Communications and Information Technologies Ministry, Microsoft and HP to supply population in the country with computers on preferential terms. Nearly 9000 teachers have so far benefitted from this project.


Delivering a lecture “Special role of ICT in development of socioeconomic sphere and human resource”, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Elmir Velizade assessed use of ICT in education as one of the most important directions for IT development. ICT in education is a step towards the future, he underlined. About 8% of specializations at higher education institutions in the country is directly linked to IT.


The rapporteur talked of the direct action of Communications and Information Technologies Ministry in use of techs in education, noting 145 Azerbaijanis receive education at the leading universities worldwide under the Ministry’s sponsorship.


UNESCO ICT expert Marius Lukosiunas talked about UNESCO Programme on Literacy of Teachers. According to him, over a million people are trained in more than 700 ICT centers worldwide set up by the Organization.


Former minister of education of Hungary Balint Magyar, Microsoft spokesperson Joys Fernandez and Edinburg University professor Charles Anderson made presentations in the event.



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