Media Review for March 12

The rise in the price of cigarettes, calls for the resumption of the metro's activities, problems of students who cannot afford to pay for education, the signing of an agreement on the purchase of vaccines by Azerbaijan are the topics of today's media.

The website Yenisabah.az is discussing with the economist Natig Jafarli the rapid rise in prices in the country. So, since March 11, all sorts of cigarettes have risen in price by 20 qepiks. This was not unexpected, as excise taxes were changed in February. In addition, logistics services have become more expensive, and the price of diesel fuel has increased. Taken together, all this makes the rise in price of cigarettes normal, natural, the expert said.

The website Metbuat.az is discussing with the deputy Javanshir Pashazadeh the need to open the metro, since there is a crush on buses and there are more chances to catch the coronavirus. During rush hours, the situation is aggravated, as instead of 20 people, 50 people are pushed onto the bus. The opening of the metro will unload buses and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The website Sfera.az writes that over the past 7 years, 5,000 students in Azerbaijan have been expelled for non-payment of tuition fees. In 2021, it is planned to create a system "Education-student loan", according to the report of the Cabinet of Ministers for 2020.

According to the document, 80 million manats are provided for these purposes in the approved state budget for 2021. But it is not yet clear how and by what criteria the loans will be issued. The author notes that an agreement on education loans is planned between the government and parliament at the end of January this year.

In 2015, on the initiative of the Ministry of Education, the Student Credit Fund was created. Within 6 years, 272 educational loan agreements were signed by students from 15 universities. As for 80 million manats, which are provided by the budget for a loan for education, 38-42 thousand students will be able to use them.

The website Bizimyolinfo.az writes that Azerbaijan has replaced the Chinese vaccine with the Russian one. The website discusses this replacement and the difference between vaccines with a pharmacologist Mushfig Huseynov. According to the agreement signed, 300,000 Sputnik-V vaccines will be delivered to the country for a period of 180 days. The author recalls that since January 18 of this year, Azerbaijan has been using the CoronaVac vaccine produced in China. According to the doctor-pharmacologist, there is no particular difference between the vaccines.