Society must achieve innovation and development in education

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Question: The Minister of Education proposes a new mechanism for raising funds in schools using the "fundraising" method (fundraising - collecting funds from members of the public for economic, political or social purposes). This idea has been criticized on social media. What do you think the minister meant?

Answer: Education Minister Emin Amrullayev spoke about the positive impact of financial investments on education. The minister said that the wider is the financial possibilities, the higher  is the quality of education. He also added that if parents want to provide financial support to schools,  they should do so in a transparent and accountable way, voluntarily, and not under duress. In a word, the minister wants the transition  from the practice of knocking out money from parents for holidays, a class magazine, a broom for the cleaning lady (otherwise the child will not be allowed to go to school), to the practice of donations, when a parent voluntarily donates 10 thousand dollars to equip a physics classroom.

The Turkish lyceum, in which I received my secondary education, had financial capabilities thanks to the financial support of ordinary citizens of Turkey, and then various businessmen of Azerbaijan, families of students. Large laboratories were created with small donations, and the quality of education was not in doubt. Even in the USA, where I studied in the magistracy, thousands of people, both parents and businessmen, provided financial support and donated to our university. And today, as graduates, we make donations to our university in the amount of 20-30, 100-200 dollars. That is, if the process is transparent, then donations to secondary and higher schools are normal. It is wrong to criticize and denigrate him, saying that “he wants to collect bribes in a transparent manner”.

Question: Why do spears break because of this proposal? What is unusual about the minister's proposal? There are people who present the matter as if "the minister wants to legitimize a bribe."

Answer: The only mistake the minister made at this briefing was that he inquired about the opinion of the society, addressing people with the words “let's discuss, let's look for a way out” - an opinion that, for 30 years, has never been interested.  The society is  accustomed to more rude expressions such as “Hey, there, come one by one, I don’t have to answer you!”, “It is not up to you who builds Alabala ?!”, “Go away!”. And when  they suddenly  hear  such polite words as  “let's discuss, let's look for a way out,”  some centers waiting for the opportunity to make noise can easily turn society against someone who is too “liberal”.

A positive result of the tension that has arisen may be that the ministry, using the "boiling point", instead of forcibly collecting money from parents (and sometimes from teachers) "for a holiday", "for a magazine", "for the ruling YAP party", "for a broom” Will create a system that will be collected as voluntary donations day by day, transparently with the provision of a report, and will show the public - this is what we had in mind. And then it is possible that someone will want to donate 10 thousand dollars to the school and create a laboratory, and whoever does not want to, may not give a penny, and no one will blame him for this.

Question: Let's  assume that the “Fundraising” that the minister spoke about is applied. Do you think this will put an end to bribes in schools, fundraising for principals and class teachers, gifts for the holidays? Will they stop filling their pockets illegally if they don't get these donations?

Answer: Just gifts, additional payments to teachers for the high quality of teaching, impeccable service can be allocated from the funds raised by the parent pedagogical association or the Foundation, whose activities are transparent. Schools already have money that they collect from parents forcibly and non-transparently, and then spend them uncontrollably and non-transparently. But the same money, you can collect as voluntary donations, create a fund for this and spend the money transparently, based on an annual plan, based on clear criteria. For example, at the beginning of the year, teachers whose work is highly appreciated by teachers and students according to the criteria established by the Association of Teachers and Parents or the foundation may be presented with valuable gifts, monetary rewards, which can further motivate.

Question:  Can be sure that these donations are spent in the right direction?

Answer: It is possible to create the "OXUT" Fund, similar to the "YASHAT" Fund, which provides Sheols with transparent donations. Parents, businessmen, citizens who are not indifferent to the quality of education, the education system of our country, companies registered as donors in the Single Portal can choose one-time, monthly, annual donation amounts and easily make a donation through online payment.

A donor can donate both to the general budget of the foundation and to the general budget of a specific school, or to the budget of a specific project in a specific school. For example, a businessman donates 5,000 AZN to create a library in a Baku school in the Zira settlement. Or - a famous sportsman donates 10,000 manats for the construction of a stadium in the courtyard of the 5th school in Zagatala. The deputy, for whose election an additional 200 ballots were thrown into the ballot boxes, donates 200 seedlings for planting in the courtyard of the school, where an additional 200 ballots were thrown into the ballot boxes when he was elected a deputy. Companies such as BP, Azercell contribute 100,000 AZN to the overall budget of the fund.

At the same time, schools, in accordance with their needs, exhibit fundraising and crowdfunding (crowdfunding) projects in the portal. For example, a rural school in Ujar region collects 5,000 manats to create its own musical ensemble, purchase musical instruments for propaganda among students of mugam after school, renovate a rehearsal hall. Some hanende (performer of mugam), having learned about the project, contributes 2,000 manats, and the remaining 3,000 manats are donated by other citizens.

The Board and the Supervisory Board of the Foundation monitor the equipment purchased from the collected donations, control the prices for the services provided, prepare monthly and annual reports and post them on the website. A citizen who donated 20 AZN goes to the site, sees that his donation is reflected in the list of donations under his number, views and controls the total budget, projects, expenses. The proposal can always be discussed and improved.

The school's website lists all of its extra-budgetary, extracurricular expenses and tries to manage funds from the Foundation. And then, if any group of parents, some director starts talking about "collecting money for a broom, for holiday packages for teachers, will hint that the children of those who did not contribute money will not be allowed to the lessons", then they will have to testify in law enforcement agencies.

Funding for schools should not be carried out solely by the state or by the parents whose children are studying. Innovation and development in education must be accessible to society. And those who have children and those who do not have them, those whose children are studying and those whose children have finished their studies. If this matter is left to the discretion of the state, directors and parents, then the abuse and collection of "money for a broom" will not stop.

Kamran Mahmudov