Overview
The quality of education has deteriorated since the transition began. Many teachers have left the educational system due to declining value of their salaries and a deteriorating school environment. Although enrolment rates are monitored regularly, no routine data are gathered on attendance rates disaggregated by gender. Children in Azerbaijan begin primary school at age six. 88.4% of primary school aged children attend school. Urban/rural disparity was found to exist to some extent and primary school attendance varies by region, household status and wealth. Literacy levels are high; in excess of 95%. 97.8% of the male population aged 15 or older (98.9 urban and 96.4 rural) and 92.6% of the female population (95.7 urban and 88.6 rural) are literate. Literacy rates for IDPs were equally high at 98.7% for IDP males and 93.1% for females. However, functional literacy has never been measured and thus remains unknown. Almost all education institutes lack basic textbooks, teaching materials and supplies to perform to an acceptable high standard. Outdated curricula and teaching methods add to this problem. The government has acknowledged the benefits of the introduction of new teaching approaches and methodologies and has made specific policy decisions under PRSP to adopt these approaches more widely. The government of Azerbaijan began its Educational Reform Program in 1998 with the aim of modernising the general education system to support the development of a new democratic society and market economy. The challenges facing the government in this respect are related to the need to change from a successful but out-dated Soviet education system to a more learner-centred system to meet the needs of this society. Only 11 percent of children attend some form of pre-school, with large discrepancies between rural (4 per cent) and urban (19 per cent) areas. More than two thirds of pre-schools are also in a poor state of repair. Attendance of early childhood programmes is most common in Baku (20 per cent) but almost non-existent in the south of the country, where less than 1 per cent of children do so.
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