"Baku Education Information Centre" Foundation (BEIC) is an independent
education and information centre created and supported in Azerbaijan by
US Department of State and Open Society Institute, committed to provide
information about international education opportunities.

The first agency provided the information on American Education in
Azerbaijan was Advising Center at the U.S. Embassy. On May 1, 1997 U.S.
Embassy together with OSI established "Baku Education Information
Centre" Foundation. Since that time till April 2000 it was acting as a
part of OSI. On April 1, 2000, BEIC became an independent non-government
organization supported by U.S. Department of State and OSI-Assistance
Foundation.

Since the creation day BEIC did a great deal of work on the expanding of
its services: ordering new resource materials, increasing the variety of
the lectures and workshops, finding out the new opportunities on
education in the USA and other countries, promoting various scholarships
in Azerbaijan.

Below are the scholarship programs administered by "Baku Education
Information Centre" Foundation:

CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY (CEU) - The program offers 1 year Master\'s
(economics - 2 year), Doctoral Support Program - 1-2 semesters and 3
year Ph.D. Program.

ESSEX HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM - The two programs offered are the MA and the
LLM in the Human Rights. One year, UK.

SOCIAL WORK FELLOWSHIP **-** network scholarship program in social work
(Health, Mental Health, and Disabilities, Gerontology, Domestic
Violence, Social Administration and etc.) for Master\'s Level Study in
the United States: Columbia University and Washington University in St.
Louis.

DAAD/OSI SCHOLARSHIP - DAAD and the Open Society Institute have agreed
to collaborate in a scheme of scholarships for students and faculty from
Azerbaijan.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN BULGARIA (AUBG) - Soros Foundation provides
4-year scholarships for the students from the CEE and FSU countries to
pursue the bachelor degree in the variety of fields.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE CENTER (CRC) **-** With an emphasis on curriculum
development, teaching and dissemination of academic resources to higher
educational institutions in the region

SUMMER UNIVERSITY (SUN) - is an academic program for University
professors, administrators and professionals

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIP - The program seeks to encourage pursuit
of academic careers by outstanding junior faculty; encourage innovative
approaches to curricular and pedagogical reform; and support the
development of regional and international institutional partnerships.

SALZBURG MEDICAL SEMINARS - one week seminars for doctors in different
fields.

SALZBURG MEDICAL INTERNSHIPS - 1-3 months internship for the successful
participants of Salzburg Seminars

GLOBAL SUPPLEMENTARY GRANTS PROGRAM - The purpose of the program is to
enable qualified students to pursue Doctoral studies in the Humanities
and Social Sciences at accredited Universities in Western Europe, Asia,
Australia and North America.

OXFORD COLLEGES HOSPITALITY SCHEME - offers short-term hospitality to
scholars from Central and East Europe and the former Soviet Union who
wish to work in Oxford libraries or consult Oxford specialists in their
subject.

<http://www.ox.ac.uk/>

BEIC staff constantly works on the raising of the quality of the
services offered, attending a range of workshops, professional training
courses, language courses, and conferences in Azerbaijan and abroad. A
great attention was being paid from the very beginning to the respectful
attitude to the visitors.

Every year BEIC adds new activities to then old ones, such as:
organizing career lectures and workshops; administering conversation
groups for high school students and adults, led by the US programs
alumni; coordinating alumni activities; GRE, GMAT, SAT, LSAT and TOEFL
preparation courses, also BEIC has certified iBT TOEFL Center; Social
Work project during 2003-2005 years; stronger ties with the regional
EICs, providing training for the advisers from the regions at BEIC and
supporting them in library compiling; holding new types of workshops,
such as: on communication and presentation skills, conflict resolution
and working with media.

The popularity of BEIC is becoming wider year-by-year. The great number
of visitors to BEIC proves this fact. Thus, in 1997 the number of
visitors per month was about 200 people, whereas in 2006 the number went
up to 10 000 visitors. Survey conducted from October 1999 to March 2000
among 100 visitors brought out the fact that despite some shortages in
the work of the center, all the participants of the poll are pleased
with the activities of BEIC and pointed out that here they get all the
necessary information about education abroad.

The last one 7th Educational fair took place on October 15, 2006
attracting 1500 visitors. In November 2000 BEIC web site was opened in
English, and six months later in Azeri, the number of the web site
visitors a month is about 1000. During its existence BEIC has conducted
19 different educational, scientific and training programs. The total
number of grant recipients and scholarship participants through these
programs makes more than 600 people.

> > THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION OF AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC.

The education in Azerbaijan Republic is compulsory and free for all
population; there is universal access to basic education through formal
schooling. The education system is highly centralized and maintains an
eleven years of schooling ( 4554 schools). Since the collapse of USSR,
Azerbaijan has engaged tremendous efforts in establishing its own
system. And the government is facing two big challenges The first is to
continue to provide free compulsory Basic Education to all children and
the second is to improve the quality and the efficiency of the learning
content and processes within a context of severe pressure: on one hand
the occupation of part of territory all the displacement problems, on
the other the severe problems of transitional economic.

**Structure of Education system**

Preschool education

Basic education

Secondary education

**Professional Education**

Vocational technical education

Secondary vocational education

Higher Education

**After diploma Education**

Master's degree

Doctor's degree

Out-of-school training and education

Improvement of professional skill, retraining, probation

**Higher Education.** The system of higher education in Azerbaijan
Republic is represented by the following types of higher educational
institutions: universities, institutes, colleges, conservatories. At
present, there are 31 state and 16 non-state (private) higher schools,
as well as their branches in different regions of the republic. 20 of
the higher educational institutions subordinate to the Ministry of
Education. In these higher institutions we have now 127248 students.
23228 students study in private higher education institutions. The
higher schools train the specialists on 431 directions. There are 150
faculties and 700 departments in these universities. 11739 tutors in
state universities and 1891 tutors in private universities are engaged
in teaching process. But it is necessary to note that at present time
higher schools are experiencing great hardships today.

In 1992 a new educational low was enacted in Azerbaijan. The purpose of
low was to establish educational institutions of a new type, to
implement ceaseless and multi stage education, to adopt new scientific
degrees of \"bachelor\" and \"master\" of sciences, to render assistance
in formation of non-state system of education as in alternative to the
state one, to integrate with the world education system as soon as
possible.

Two-stage structure of higher education (first stage -bachelor, second -
master) differs from the previous one by the content of curricula and
term of study. The best graduates of master stage are admitted to
doctoral stage after a successful completion of which they get doctoral
degree.

Scientific researches are conducted at 87 scientific-research
laboratories of 12 higher schools and Institue of Problems of education
under The Ministry of Education.

For more than 30 years, education of foreign students is conducted in
higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan. During this period, more
than 15000 students from about 40 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and
Latin America have got a higher education in the higher schools of our
country. At present time, more than 3438 students from 41 countries
studying in Azerbaijan universities.

**Reforms.** Process of reforming of Azerbaijan social-economical system
is being complicated by non resolved problems. Changes in all spheres of
life necessitated reforms also in educational system of Azerbaijan. In
this view, in 1992 Parliament of republic adopted new \"Law on Education
of Azerbaijan Republic.\" A new Educational law introduced several
reforms including:

i\) the formulation of a new policy with new objectives and

principles;

ii)the restructuring of the whole educating system and

structures;

iii)the setting of a new education management and administration;

iv\) the establishment of private schools.

v)the adoption of the Latin alphabet for the Azeri language;

vj.) greater decentralization and autonomy for educational

institutions;

vii)an improved testing and evaluation systems for admission into higher
education.

According the President order of 13 June 2000 there were made a solid
alteration in the system and the structure of higher education. Taking
into consideration a good experience of four higher education
institutions of Azerbaijan, working on self management principle, 2 more
university have got this system in 2003.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved a "Rules of attestation and
accreditation of higher and secondary education institutions" which
bases is quality management system. Teachers are trained in 14 secondary
vocational and in 15 higher education institutions. 46 298 student are
studying on pedagogic Bachelor course. A "Teacher's Professional
Program" including socio-political, psycho-pedagogical and methodic
requirements showed persons of teacher has been prepared and approved.
The Ministry of Education also is preparing a "Teachers' training
program for 2004-2010" and is going to submit it to the Government for
approval. A work on new education standards has been planned to complete
in early of academic year 2004-05. There is continued an experiment on
introducing of 100 scores - students knowledge evaluation system on 40
courses and 80 specialties in 16 higher education institutions.

Also new Educational Low is being discussed in Parliament and
President's office.

Its enactment is expected in near future.