The 57^th meeting of the Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation Parliamentary Assembly was held remotely on 12 October. Members of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PABSEC Musa Guliyev and Ramin Mammadov joined it.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee Mykola Skoryk (Ukraine) presented the agenda of the meeting; its adoption was followed by the approval of the minutes of the 56^th meeting of the Committee.

Xarula Kefalidou (Greece) then tabled the report ‘The Purpose and Goals of the Education Co-operation in the Black Sea Region after the Pandemic’. Ms Kefalidou told of the education-related situation the world over and in the Black Sea countries overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapporteur stressed that the national governments should be able to react to the new environment promptly; she talked about the importance of implementing new educational technologies, streamlining remote and hybrid forms of education, maintaining uninterrupted education processes and using other advanced practices.

The national delegation members talked about how the education systems of their countries adapted to the pandemic circumstances.

Chairman of the Milli Majlis Labour and Social Policy Committee Musa Guliyev informed the colleagues of the already-started tele-lessons and the launch of the ‘Virtual School’ platform in Azerbaijan during the pandemic. He added that education in his country was kept continuous and with its scope intact thanks to the broader remote education practice, technological supplies, the quality Internet connection and impartment of technology skills at all the education strata.

After the discussion, both the report and the Committee recommendations regarding it were approved. Besides, the Azerbaijani delegation’s Musa Guliyev was elected the new Chairman of the PABSEC Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee.

As the meeting drew to an end, its participants clarified the date, venue and agenda of the next one. The social impacts of the crises in the BSEC countries caused by the refugee flows made the topic of the next committee meeting; the Azerbaijani MP Ramin Mammadov was appointed as the rapporteur.

PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev capped the meeting by alerting the Committee members to certain matters concerned with the upcoming events and activities of the Assembly, thanking the outbound Committee Chairman Metin Gündoğdu (Turkey) for the fruitful work and wishing his successor every success.

The Press and Public Relations Department

The Milli Majlis