The Sciences and Education Committee of the Milli Majlis held online the first meeting of the 2021 spring session on 18 January.

Whilst opening the meeting, Committee Chairman Bakhtiyar Aliyev wished the colleague success in the coming spring session. He remarked that the past year 2020 had been written in the national history in golden letters as it was during it that Azerbaijan had ended the Armenian occupation of its lands and restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty by the endeavours of our heroic Army led by President and Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. The heroism cases featuring the valiant sons of Azerbaijan are worth finding their way into textbooks, in the opinion of Mr Aliyev who asked the Almighty that he rest the fallen warriors’ souls in peace and grant those wounded in battles soon recovery.

Then, the Committee Chairman reported on the work done during the 2020 autumn session. He recalled the 13 committee meetings held, at which 26 matters were tabled and discussed duly. The material amendments made in the laws ‘On Education’, ‘On Education for Persons with Disabilities (On Special Education)’, ‘On Vocational Education’, ‘On the Rights of Handicapped Persons’, ‘On Basic Education’ and ‘On Physical Education and Sports’ as well as in the other important documents contributed substantially to the reinforcement of the legislation and to eliminating lacunas in those acts alike, in Mr Aliyev’s opinion.

The Committee received 328 applications, letters and appeals from citizens, and the Committee Chairman forwarded the communication concerning the issues raised in those to the appropriate authorities during the report period, according to Mr Aliyev.

Besides, the Committee Members contributed to the efforts of the working groups for interparliamentary contacts and took part in the international events held in the videoconferencing mode during the discussed period. On the whole, as Mr Aliyev pointed out, the Milli Majlis had carried out the tasks on its period’s agenda with flying colours.

Mr Aliyev went further to speak of the video meeting of the Committee Members with Minister of Education Emin Amrullayev in August last year and of the extensive discussions about restoring educational institutions’ functionality in the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances as well as about making preparations for the new academic year.

The performance report was accepted as presented, after which the Committee discussed its 2021 spring session legislative work plan. Bakhtiyar Aliyev supplied abundant information about the matters that are to be looked into during the session. He said that the Committee was to draw up the Tertiary Education Bill whilst continuing its work on other important draft laws. The Committee work plan was commended and approved unanimously.

The Committee Members Isa Habibbayli, Musa Gasimli, Eldar Guliyev, Aghiya Nakhchivanli, Kamila Aliyeva, Rafael Huseynov, Anar Iskandarov, Tamam Jafarova, Afat Hasanova, Jeyhun Mammadov, Fatma Yildirim, Mushfig Mammadli, Parvin Karimzade, Etibar Aliyev, Ulviya Agayeva and Shahin Seyidzade took part in the online meeting.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis