The chairman of the Milli Majlis Sciences and Education Committee Bakhtiyar Aliyev let it be known at the committee meeting called on 29 April that its agenda contained two items, namely, amendments to the General Education Law and amendments to the Education Law and the Law ‘On (Specialised) Education of Persons with Disabilities’.

Both Bills, which Mr Aliyev presented in the second reading, had seen thorough discussions in the first reading at the latest plenary sitting of the Milli Majlis, with the MPs having come up with their ideas, remarks and suggestions.

First, Mr Aliyev spoke about the amendments to the General Education Law. They envisage, amongst other things, erasing the wording ‘a specialised or boarding-type’ from the expansion upon the ‘integrated educational institution’ concept. According to the new edition, an integrated-type educational institution is one which supports joint education of disabled and not disabled students. In another article of the law, the expression ‘pedagogical staff’ is to be replaced with the word ‘teachers’. Furthermore, it is proposed to modify the article on comprehensive education institutions. The ultimate goal of all the amendments is to promote the disabled people’s right to education on par with non-handicapped students at all the tuition levels whilst also creating an ambience where the former would not encounter hurdles in their studies, the committee chairman summed up.

Mr Aliyev moved on to the second-reading Bill containing amendments to the Education Law and the Law ‘On (Specialised) Education of Persons with Disabilities’. These amendments, he said, were meant to unify the said two legislative acts with the amendments to the General Education Law. For instance, a new Article 11-1 concerned with organisation of integrated education is to be added to the Law ‘On (Specialised) Education of Persons with Disabilities’.

The deputy committee chairman Musa Gasimli and the committee members Aghiya Nakhchivanli, Isa Habibbayli, Eldar Guliyev and Kamila Aliyeva talked about the importance and relevance of the amendments. So did the head of the Social Legislation Department of the Milli Majlis Staff Adil Valiyev.

It was recommended in the end that both Bills should be brought before the Milli Majlis at its next meeting in plenary.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis