In Azerbaijan, the Number of School-Going Children Decreases Year by Year

Today, on September 16, a new academic year has begun in Azerbaijan.

According to a statement from the State Agency for Preschool and General Education, 132,261 children have been admitted to the first grade for the 2024-2025 academic year. This is lower compared to last year's figures. According to the Ministry of Science and Education, in the 2023-2024 academic year, 137,862 children were admitted to the first grade of the country's general education schools.

Statistics show that there is a year-on-year decline in the number of students in the country. While 151,560 children were admitted to the first grade in the 2022-2023 academic year, this number was 159,644 in the 2019-2020 academic year. Thus, over five years, the number of students entering the first grade has decreased by 27,000.

At the end of last year, Eshgi Baghirov, the director of the State Agency for Preschool and General Education, also reported that a decrease in the number of students is noticeable in regional schools: "This is observed in teachers' applications, as well as in student relocations. The decrease in the number of students in rural schools is associated with the declining ratio of birth rates across the country."

A few years ago, the Minister of Science and Education, Emin Amrullayev, also explained the decline in the number of students entering the first grade with demographic issues.

Member of Parliament of the National Assembly's VI convocation, Jeyhun Mammadov, told Turan that the issue of declining student numbers is a very topical issue and needs to be addressed: "This is clearly evident, especially in the regions. This issue needs to be dealt with very seriously. The Ministry of Science and Education has the Institute of Education, and one of its main functions should be to investigate such matters."

Jeyhun Mammadov believes that if there is no serious response to these problems, future issues will arise.

According to him, whereas in the past families had 5-6 children, today families prefer 2 or even 1 child: "This also manifests itself as a topical problem in our society."

The deputy noted that one of the reasons is divorces: "Another reason is that young people are no longer so inclined to marry. They think that it is better not to marry than to establish a family and take on responsibility. This is also a serious factor and we need to consider it. Because the young people's approach will create difficulties for us in the future."

Jeyhun Mammadov believes that appropriate programs should be adopted and serious steps should be taken: "There is also a very serious need for awareness-raising in this direction."

Education expert Nabatali Gulamoglu told Azadliq Radio that as life develops, a person's needs increase: "For this, income is needed for the family. If the family cannot achieve this, they reduce their child planning. Having many children is a burden for parents and they cannot cope with this burden. Therefore, the number of children, and consequently the number of students, decreases."

According to the expert, the decrease in the number of students is not only demographic but also a social process: "Because the desire to keep up with the social environment is not fulfilled, parents plan accordingly. Now, sending a child to school requires a lot of financial resources. If there are three or four children in a family, this already becomes a serious concern. Therefore, parents want to have fewer children, so their worries also decrease. Gradually, this trend will continue."

Nabatali Gulamoglu believes that to reverse this trend, there must be an abundance of material wealth and a free economic environment in Azerbaijan.