The issue of restoring the activities of educational institutions is still relevant. The school year is about to begin, and the epidemiological situation in the country is deteriorating. The number of people infected with the coronavirus has exceeded the number of those who have recovered. In such a situation, when the school year begins is one of the most important issues for parents.
Executive Secretary of the Public Council under the Ministry of Education Ilgar Orujov told Media.Az.
"As September 15 approaches, there are more questions about the start of the school year. However, no final decision has been made yet. The Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers are monitoring the situation, extensive research is being conducted. We, as the Public Council under the Ministry of Education, are closely following this process, "Orujov said.
According to him, since the suspension of the educational process in the country, the Public Council has made recommendations to support the educational process, held online meetings with former and current Ministers of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The resumption of the teaching process was discussed. There were also meetings with other educational entities, after which the Institute of Education presented its recommendations and suggestions.
I. Orujov noted that the educational process can be restored on the basis of three scenarios - traditional, remote (online) and mixed format (traditional + online).
According to the Executive Secretary of the Public Council, relevant international organizations, in particular the WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, warn of possible risks in the event of a resumption of the educational process.
"If the disease spreads again, there is a risk that many children will be left out of school," he said. Since the first day of the pandemic in the country, the Ministry of Education has taken a very serious approach to the organization of the educational process: video lessons were organized within the "Lesson Time" program broadcast on "Culture TV" and a "Virtual School" platform was created. However, we understand that online education does not cover all students, "said the expert.
According to him, the most acceptable option in this regard is the hybrid training format:
"The pandemic continues and it is not to be hoped that educational institutions will continue to operate as before, as this could lead to an increase in the number of infections," he said. Currently, a hybrid, mixed form of education is on the agenda, which is relevant for areas where the quarantine regime has been abolished.
However, measures will be taken to reduce the number of school days, hours and class density in the hybrid format. For children, for example, the school time should not exceed 30 minutes for three hours instead of six. Some students go to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while others go to school on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This does not mean that students will be left out of school on non-school days, they will only study online.
The Executive Secretary of the Public Council stressed that in order to use the mixed education model as in Germany, citizens must take all necessary measures:
"As for areas with stricter quarantine regimes, only online education is available there. Unfortunately, there is no other choice in the current situation. "
He also noted that Azerbaijan has a satisfactory experience in the field of distance education:
By the way, this issue was touched upon during the meeting of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with the Vice President of Microsoft Philip Rogge. Moreover, other countries are already using the experience of our country in the field of distance education. I repeat, it is very successful, but in the current reality it is not enough. "
As for the mandatory wearing of school uniforms, the executive secretary of the Public Council said that this issue is not yet a priority.
"Today, it is more important for us to prevent the decline in the level of education and to take all necessary measures. In this situation, there will be no risk for the organization of the educational process, "Ilgar Orujov said.
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