"They go to many countries to renovate schools, but their own schools..."

On December 19, it was reported that students were massively poisoned by smoke at School No. 1 in Ashaghi Gushchu village, Tovuz district. According to the State Agency for Preschool and General Education, 71 individuals were hospitalized, provided with necessary medical assistance, and later discharged.

The Kazakh-Tovuz Regional Education Department stated that the educational process at the school has resumed: "The stoves were inspected yesterday, the problem was resolved, and heating was restored."

A parent of a student studying at School No. 1 in Ashaghi Gushchu told "Turan" that smoke initially spread to one classroom and then to three: "The children were evacuated from the school building. Shortly after, my daughter felt unwell, and I took her to the hospital."

According to the parent, heating was not installed because the school is old: "Recently, it was heated using this pellet stove."

Since November 2021, a project has been implemented in Azerbaijan to heat secondary schools with pellet products. According to information released by AZERTAC in 2022, heating systems operating on pellet fuel were installed in six buildings of five secondary schools in the Tovuz and Aghstafa districts as part of the project. Officials have stated that this type of fuel is environmentally friendly and has a higher heating capacity compared to wood.

For years, complaints have been heard about heating problems in schools in Azerbaijan. So what is the current status of this issue? Although the State Agency for Preschool and General Education promised "Turan" a response on the matter, no further answer was provided. However, on November 26, the agency announced that the process of preparing educational institutions for the heating season in a centralized manner and using various methods (firewood, diesel, electric radiators) was being ensured: "As part of the preparation work, the heating systems and boilers of educational institutions were inspected. At the same time, inspections were carried out to identify and address potential problems in advance."

Ceyhun Mammadov, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Science and Education, told "Turan" that the construction and renovation of schools are among the state's priorities: "In recent years, hundreds of schools and kindergartens have been built and renovated both by the state and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. According to official information, there were approximately 800 unrepaired schools in the past, but now this number has been reduced to around 400."

He emphasized that the state is continuously working to properly establish heating systems in schools: "In almost all schools, heating systems have been set up at a high level. We see this during our visits to the regions. There are a total of 4,400 schools in question."

According to Mammadov, school administrations also bear responsibility: "School principals and teachers should be more sensitive and attentive to such issues."

It was not possible to reach the administration of School No. 1 in Ashaghi Gushchu regarding the issue. However, education expert Nabatali Gulamoghlu told Radio Azadiq that neither heating nor other educational problems have been fully resolved in schools: "They just create the impression that these problems are being solved."

According to the expert, the heating provided in secondary schools is insufficient: "The warmth in classrooms comes from the students’ breathing. In regional schools, heating is so weak that four or five people cannot stay in the room. Even in Baku schools, the heating systems are not functioning properly."

Gulamoghlu believes there is a single reason for this: "The state views education the way Lenin viewed the bourgeoisie, so to speak. How can it be that they go to many countries to renovate schools, but their own schools are in this condition? The heating problem in schools is the result of general neglect."