Pressure on Nur continues in Azerbaijan; Turkish schools controlled by gyulenists get closed
Azerbaijan has banned the activities of the schools and kindergartens of Azerbaijani International Educational Center, including courses of "Araz", which have been controlled by Nur groups, reports the press service of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR, as the Azerbaijani news portal "Haqqin.az", reads.
According to the article, at the sitting of the general meeting a decision was made to abolish the complex, as well as the courses of "Araz". Portal notes that Azerbaijan’s International Education Center includes several kindergartens, 11 high schools, courses for "Araz" and the "Caucasus" University.
As the "Haqqin.az" reports, the vice-chancellor of the "Caucasus" University Natick Pasha confirmed the information about the closure of the Nur schools in Baku, but noted that the "Caucasus" university was not included in this list.
Azerbaijani news agency "Turan" writes that according to Mursal Aliyev, who is an expert in the field of education, the mentioned above decision will negatively affect the quality of education and the business area. According to him, the courses for "Araz" and the high schools and worked efficiently and their graduates later became high-level professionals. It is possible that "Araz" and high schools have been closed for political reasons, namely, because of the proximity of the Turkish theologian Fatullah Gulen to the educational area.
"Turan" notes that after the last visit of the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Baku, the media predicted this decision. It was reported that the Turkish Prime Minister was not pleased with the presence of Nur network (Gulen supporters) in Azerbaijan. Erdogan believes that Gulen organization created by "Hizmet" is infiltrating the Turkish state agencies and conducts subversive activities against the government. Then in Azerbaijan a number of senior officials were removed from their posts, including Elnur Aslanov, the head of the Presidential Administration and Elshad Isgandarov, the head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations.
In its turn, the Azerbaijani news agency "Vesti.az" notes that in Azerbaijan the amount of the applicants that may be called students reduces little by little almost every year. Despite the pretentious reports in the spirit of Soviet times stating that the level of education in Azerbaijan surpasses the reasonable limits, the reality leaves much to be desired.
According to the article, high school graduates of the regions of Azerbaijan in most cases receive the highest scores required for admission to universities. The author explains this circumstance with the fact that they have been educated in Turkish high schools that are under the control of the Azerbaijani International Education Center.
"But the happiness did not last long. Apparently, someone decided that there are more "geniuses" in Azerbaijan than needed, and a stick was inserted into the "wheel" of the conveyor that produces clever and talented youth," the article stated.
According to the article, the soothing statement of the Ministry of Education announcing that the public schools may take in the high schools students that are left out, does not call much optimism. "As it was noted above, the current instruction at schools leaves much to be desired," the article reads.
In addition, according to the author, there is another depressing point: "The smart students were receiving free education at those Turkish high schools. And considering the fact that at these high schools children from poor families were taught it becomes easy to assume that entrance to European expensive colleges is ordered for them."