Social Research Center publishes analytical report on new examination model

The second issue of the Journal of Azerbaijan Barometer by Social Research Center has published an analytical report based on a public opinion survey "New model of admission exams for full (11-year) secondary ecation, higher and vocational education", SIA reports.

A conference was held regarding the report. The conference heard speeches from Chairman of the Social Research Center, MP Zahid Oruj, Deputy Head of the Department for Work and Communication with Non-governmental organizations of the Presidential Administration Saadat Yusifova, Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the State Examination Center Maleyka Abbaszade, Director of School No. 6 Gulshan Orujova, and a student of Azerbaijan State Economic University (UNEC) Anar Mammadov. The event was attended by MPs, education workers, media representatives, prominent public and political figures.

According to the report, radical reforms in the education system at a new stage of development in Azerbaijan have always been in the spotlight of public policy as a strategic issue.

Amendment of State Examination Center regulations and commissioning monitoring examinations in 2012, establishment of a joint working group of the Ministry of Education on the assessment of knowledge and skills since 2015, the secondary (9-year) in 2017 are the new model of examining the level of education of the students at the level of education by the State Examination Center and as a result of the joint activities of the two institutions in 2019, a new model of final exams for full secondary education, admission exams for higher and vocational education institutions can be example for this.

Since February of this year, both - paper and online based test exams, as well as graduation and admission exams, and the implementation of the new education model, have caused a great public debate. In the context of various approaches to the new model, the Social Research Center will review the pros and cons of the new model this year in graduation and admission examinations, the current state of the education system of Azerbaijan and the attitude of society to these innovations. In June and July of the current year, a public opinion survey was conducted among the representatives of the State Examination Center, applicants, parents, teachers, and education experts.

The public opinion poll conducted by the Social Research Center among 539 respondents and 12 experts developed in the results of a large-scale study covering 10 cities and regions, based on the regional centers of State Examination Center. Analysis of the results of the poll reveals that although there is extensive work on the application of the examination model in line with modern educational programs, some applicants are beyond the scope of its assimilation. There was a problem with mastering the curriculum. Generally, the application of this model strengthens the links between secondary and higher education levels. Despite the fact that 45% of respondents do not consider the new model helpful, experts think that the new method serves as a basis for search and reform. When looking through the content of the new admissions model, it is clear that there are serious problems between the curriculum and model. The report also widely investigates the public's ambiguous approach to the examination.

One of the most essential details related to the role of tutors in education. It turned out that 86% of applicants used tutors, 8% said they were preparing for exams at school and 6% said they were preparing for themselves. About 60% of applicants stated that admission exams and 30% of admissions tests were difficult. 54% of them noted the shortcomings of open-ended questions. One of the main concerns was the problems with the examination of writing tasks, as well as the disadvantages of using foreign language listening devices.

Education experts, nevertheless, pay attention to the controversial issues engender major debate that around the slopping down of scores is groundless. The fee in the exam is higher than 60% of respondents. The results and observations of the survey also show that parents (45%) and teachers (33%) play a great role in preparing students for the examination in a moral and psychological manner.

Generally, there are certain problems with high school curricula, mastering the content of curricula, and writing textbooks. According to the report, the results of a sociological survey on the new model applied in the high school graduation and admission examinations have once again proved that every innovation is usually unacceptable by the society and is accompanied by some problems. If there is insufficient public awareness about these innovations, it is also important to assimilate the news to the members of the community, to understand them, and even to try to minimize them (sometimes it is easy). In order for the new curriculum to be more effective, it is important to work with teachers, provide them with training. As a result of ongoing research and monitoring, it is necessary to determine where and why the program has failed. It can be significantly seen that the observations that this year the number of applicants is higher than in previous years. In addition, there were more cases where applicants were justified in the appeal. Certain errors, especially after evaluating some of the open-ended tasks by the State Examination Center, will reluctantly decrease trust in the examiners when they pass the exam successfully. Interestingly, 22% of respondents believe that the new model of admission exams needs to be upgraded. 53.5% of the respondents supported the previous model exams, 4.5% canceled the test admission, 8% said that they passed the exams. There is disagreement among experts on this issue. Some of them adopt the double-faced exam model, however, if they think about detailing the consequences of the exams this year, and addressing the shortcomings, improving the new model by conducting searches and reforms in this area, others will be a supporter of the exams.