Are there Illegal Deductions from Students' Scholarships?

Complaints are emerging about monthly deductions from the scholarships of higher education students in Azerbaijan. Some students report that a few manats are deducted from their scholarships each month without their consent. According to them, this money is allegedly being collected for the Student Trade Union.

A student in the 3rd year at Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, who wishes to remain anonymous for safety reasons, also states that although his monthly scholarship is 100 manats, he receives only 97 manats each month: "Money is directly deducted from the scholarship card. It is said that these funds go to the Student Trade Union Committee. However, I have not signed any application or consent regarding the deduction of this money from me."

He emphasizes that neither he nor his close student friends have ever contacted the Student Trade Union Committee of their university for assistance with any issues.

Currently, in Azerbaijan, bachelor’s degree students with academic scores of 91–100 points receive a scholarship of 175 manats, those with 71–100 points receive 145 manats, and those with 51–100 points receive 100 manats. According to the State Statistics Committee, in the 2023/2024 academic year, 182,121 students are enrolled in full-time programs at higher education institutions. Of these, 100,719 are provided with scholarships.

Regarding the complaint, it has not yet been possible to obtain a response from the leadership of Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University. However, the Student Trade Union Committee of that university informed "Turan" that if students do not consent, no one’s scholarship is deducted for membership: "Students who are members of the Trade Union have a membership fee. This membership fee is used to cover their dormitory, cafeteria, and transportation expenses. The membership fee is deducted at a rate of 2 percent of the student's scholarship during their period of study."

The Ministry of Education and Science has informed the agency that no taxes are withheld from students' scholarships.

Education expert Nabatali Gulamoglu told Radio Azadliq on the subject that membership in the student trade union is voluntary by law: "If someonee is being forced to become a member and their scholarship is being deducted, I would advise those students to go to court."

The expert expresses disbelief that money is being directly deducted from students' scholarships: "Because this is a violation of the law. Directly transferring money from a student's scholarship to the trade union is illegal. However, it may be possible that after the scholarship is granted, they tell the student to donate 3 manats to the trade union. Alternatively, they might have the student write an application to transfer money from the scholarship."

N. Gulamoglu believes that the amount of scholarship provided to students in Azerbaijan is unsatisfactory: "In the current inflationary period, scholarships are only enough for students to buy groceries and have light snacks. Generally, I think that scholarships should be awarded based on the students' level of knowledge. Currently, the minimum monthly scholarship for students should be 300 manats."