Azerbaijan welcomes new school year with record enrollment

September 16 marks the start of the new school year in Azerbaijan, with 132,261 children enrolling in first grade and 89,000 joining school preparation programs across the country.

In the Baku City Education Department (BCED) system, a total of 513,698 students will be attending general education institutions this year, News.Az reports.

This includes 46,098 first graders, 44,233 ninth graders, 35,757 tenth graders, 32,260 eleventh graders, and 156 twelfth graders, according to Caliber.Az.

Preschool education institutions under BCED will see 45,201 children enrolled, with 29,216 five-year-olds joining school preparation groups. For the 2024-2025 academic year, BCED will employ 29,400 teachers in general education institutions and 4,830 teacher-caregivers in preschools.

BCED oversees 698 educational institutions, including 342 preschools, 327 general education schools, 3 specialized secondary schools, 5 evening schools, 12 boarding institutions, and 9 out-of-school facilities.

Significant efforts are underway to renovate, reconstruct, and equip educational institutions, particularly in territories recently liberated from occupation. Schools in Shusha, Khankendi, and Khojaly will resume operations this year, marking a key step in revitalizing these regions.

Additionally, a historic milestone is reached with the opening of Karabakh University and the Turkish-Azerbaijani University, marking an important expansion in higher education and Azerbaijani-Turkish academic collaboration.

News.Az