NEQSOL Holding and Education Development Fund announce a scholarship program for female students

NEQSOL Holding and Education Development Fund have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The document was signed by Imran Ahmadzada, Head of NEQSOL Holding Azerbaijan office, and Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of Education Development Fund.

The purpose of the MoU is to establish cooperation on programs and projects aimed at enhancing the education system, as well as creating and implementing a long-term scholarship program for female students.

Metin Karimli, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Science and Education expressed gratitude to both sides for their proactive steps within the framework of the state-private partnership: “One of the effective forms of partnership is cooperation within the framework of corporate social responsibility. I am confident that this cooperation will have positive results and in the future new projects will be implemented.”

Elnur Nasibov highlighted the significance of the collaboration between NEQSOL Holding and the Education Development Fund, citing it as an example of a state-private partnership: “Within this cooperation, support for girls’ education, as well as the Education Development Forum on state-university-industry collaboration, organized by the Education Development Fund, along with other potential initiatives, are expected to receive support.”

Imran Ahmadzada emphasized that the field of education and the development of human capital are in the holding’s focus, and several projects have already been successfully implemented in this direction: “As part of our initiative to support the education of young girls, the students will receive a monthly scholarship throughout the year. Additionally, they will have opportunities for internships according to their fields of study, participation in mentoring programs, and access to other opportunities. This project will contribute to their professional growth, providing them with decent jobs in the future, and to be useful to society.”

For detailed information about the scholarship program for female students during the 2023-2024 academic year, please visit https://bit.ly/3LIXf3O.

NEQSOL Holding is a diversified group of companies operating in more than ten countries across the energy, telecommunications, hi-tech, and construction industries.

“Students’ Winter University” was organized in the fields of finance and economy in Guba

The “WinterCamp 2023” Winter University of students in the fields of finance and economics, organized in Guba on February 3-7, with the support of the Education Development Fund, the organization of the “One Volunteer” Students’ Cooperation Public Union and the training partnership of the “BRIDGE Academy” company, was concluded.

About 500 applications for participation in the Winter University were registered, and 35 students got the opportunity to participate after the registration and interview stages. At the opening of the event, the Chairperson of the Public Union Leyla Zeynalova emphasized that the main goal of the Winter University is to create conditions for effective time management, to bring together students studying in related specialties in an environment outside of class, to further strengthen communication between them, and to improve the exchange of knowledge and experience.

A 2-part information and training session on the topic “Fundamentals of Financial Accounting” was presented by the first speaker of the event, Nuray Iskenderova, a graduate of Warwick Business School, economist of the Department of Economic Indicators and Financial Modeling of SOCAR, teacher of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics.

On the second day of the camp, an informative session and start-up trainings were organized on the topics of “Introduction to the Economy” and “Role of the Banking Sector in the Economy” presented by Huseyn Mahmudov, the winner of the second “Yukselish” competition, and Rufat Karimov, the founder and head of “The Bankers Club”.

Within the framework of the camp, in the following days, two-part information and training sessions were held on “Introduction to Azerbaijan tax legislation”, “Principles of management accounting”, “Introduction to internal audit”, “Financial models and company evaluation” and “Increasing financial literacy” presented by Elmir Huseynov, a graduate of the University of Bristol, the winner of the second “Yukselish” competition, Ziya Mursalzadeh, a graduate of the University of Leicester, winner of the first “Yukselish” competition, Ali Ahmadov, a graduate of the University of York and the University of Strasbourg, winner of the second “Yukselish” competition, Orkhan Talibzadeh, senior specialist in budget and financial models of PashaPay LLC and Elmar Hajiyev, a colleague of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Later, students traveled to Chenlibel Lake in the Second Nugadi village to organize their free time effectively and to see the mysterious natural scenery of Guba.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on the last day of the camp, Sabuhi Rzayev, the Deputy Head of the Department of Information and Public Service of the Ministry of Science and Education, spoke about the importance of regularly organizing winter and summer camps by involving professional experts, speakers, and trainers to stimulate the innovative potential of young students, increase their scientific and theoretical knowledge and exchange experience in this direction. In the end, certificates and various awards were presented to the training participants.

It should be informed that 1-hour physical education classes were held for students every morning with the support of coaches and sports specialists to ensure the physical fitness of students during the camp.

In the evenings, volleyball and table tennis competitions were held among the participants every day, accompanied by coaches and teachers, to organize leisure time effectively. At the end of the day, a documentary film screening, various fun games, interesting simulation competitions, intellectual activities, etc. were organized for the students.

The next meeting was held within the framework of the “Support Girls’ Education” project

On the occasion of “February 2 – Youth Day”, a meeting with female students was held within the framework of the “Support Girls’ Education” project jointly implemented by the Education Development Fund and the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science and Education, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education, the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation, and female students with high academic performance involved in the scholarship program within the project.

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of Education Development Fund welcomed the guests and congratulated students on February 2 – the Day of Azerbaijani Youth. During his speech, E. Nasibov said that supporting educated and talented young people is one of the priorities of the Fund and emphasized the importance of cooperation with partner institutions in this matter.

Sadagat Kahramanova, the deputy chairperson of the State Committee on Family, Women and Children’s Affairs, informed that the project was formed within the framework of the “100th anniversary of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev’s school for girls” events and aims to continue its tradition.

Nijat Mammadli, Advisor to the Minister of Science and Education evaluated the project and talked about the direct role of educated women in the formation of a healthy society. Emphasizing the contributions of women to science, N. Mammadli also spoke about the fact that the only person who was awarded the Nobel Prize in two different fields was a woman.

Gunel Safarova, the Chairperson of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education, reminded the bravery and heroism of our youth during the Second Karabakh War and said that there is a greater need for educated, professional specialists in the post-war period.

The event continued with the speeches of Mirza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Chairman of the ITUAEE, Parvana Mammadova, and Maleyka Alizadeh, members of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education.

At the end of the meeting, the students shared their educational successes, expectations, and future plans with the participants of the event, and expressed their gratitude to the organizers for the care provided.

A working meeting was held within the framework of the “IELTS exam promotion” project

On February 1, 2023, the Education Development Fund held a working meeting within the framework of the project “Encouraging academic staff of universities and students to take the IELTS exam”.

The meeting was attended by representatives of partner institutions, the Education Quality Assurance Agency, Baku State University, Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, Azerbaijan Technical University, Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University, and Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts.

Elnur Nasibov, the Chairman of the Board of the Education Development Fund, who started the meeting with his opening speech, informed the participants about the purposes, strategic goals, directions of action, and projects in the state of implementation.

Ramin Jafarov, Head of the Administrative Management department of the Fund, explained in detail the implementation of the program, applications, quotas, required documents, and fee payment procedures and answered the questions of the participants.

It should be noted that within the framework of the mentioned project, the fees for this exam of up to 300 academic staff members and students who participated in the IELTS exam and received high scores are covered by the Education Development Fund.

The Chairman of the Board of the EDF visited the Center for Career and Job Preparation

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of Education Development Fund, was a guest of the Center for Career and Job Preparation.

E. Nasibov got acquainted with the activities of the Center and made an educational presentation on “Career planning” for the staff and interns.

Within the framework of the meeting, the prospects of cooperation between the Education Development Fund and the Center for Career and Job Preparation were also discussed.

It should be noted that the Center organizes practical trainings for students in accounting, human resources management, pedagogy, ICT, and other fields, and help students by providing job.

IELTS certificates were presented to the teachers and students of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University

On January 25, The ceremony of certificate presentation was held at Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University. The certificates were presented to a group of teachers and students of the university who participated in the IELTS exams organized in partnership with the Education Development Fund (EDF), the Education Quality Assurance Agency (ENQA), and the British Council. The ceremony was attended by ASPU management, structural leaders of the faculty of Philology, employees of relevant institutions, and candidate teachers and students.

Speaking at the opening speech, ASPU Rector Professor Jafar Jafarov said: “Based on the cooperation agreement signed between the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, the Education Quality Assurance Agency, and the Education Development Fund, an IELTS exam was organized for a group of teachers and students of our university to strengthen the formation of human capital and master the English language of talented students. 9 teachers and 10 students selected based on an intra-university competition took part in the exam organized by the British Council, and each of them received an international language certificate with a high result. During the current year, more students are expected to participate in the exams.”

Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of the Education Development Fund, Ulkar Sattarova, Chairperson of the Education Quality Assurance Agency, and Nargiz Akbarova, Exams Services Manager for the South Caucasus of the British Council noted that the purpose of organizing these exams is to promote international language certificates in universities, to stimulate students who have an accredited international language certificate such as the IELTS certificate to be exempted from relevant programs in the future. It was especially emphasized that in the first year of the project, which was implemented jointly with 6 state higher education institutions at the end of last year, all teachers and students who were nominated from the Pedagogical University succeeded in obtaining IELTS certificates with high results, and the project will be continued in the following years.

Later, certificates were presented to teachers and students.

After the presentation of the certificates, the guests were closely acquainted with the course of the winter exam session, the process of checking and appealing the results of the exams at the ASPU, and expressed their satisfaction with the organization of the exams at a high level.

Members of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education visited EDF

Gunel Safarova, Chairwoman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, members of the Council Ilgar Orujov, Etibar Aliyev, Parvana Mammadova and Rufat Asadzade were welcomed in and met with the representatives of the Education Development Fund.

The main topics of discussion at the meeting were the planned action plan for 2023 and the projects to be implemented. According to the plan, during the year, the Public Council will carry out work in creating school-family-community associations, strengthening the public control mechanism, and public hearings and meetings in the regions, and other areas.

At the end of the event, discussions were held among the members of the Public Council under the Ministry of Science and Education, and proposals were made regarding the action plan.

Representatives of the Press Council were guests of the EDF

Rashad Majid, the Chairman of the Press Council of Azerbaijan, Elshad Eyvazli, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Journalists Union, and Jasarat Valehov, the Head of the Public Relations sector of the Ministry of Science and Education visited the Education Development Fund.

Elnur Nasibov, the Chairman of the Board of Education Development Fund, informed the guests about the main goals, strategy, directions of action and plans of the Fund.

It was reported that the Education Development Fund was established by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev dated July 14, 2021. The main task of the fund is to participate in the formation of the state policy related to the development of education, to strengthen the integration of education and the economy, to finance public and socially important programs and projects aimed at the development of the education system, to support the adaptation of the material and technical base of educational institutions to modern requirements, as well as to prepare mechanisms that promote the development of education and to participate in its implementation.

During the meeting, discussions were held on future cooperation prospects and implementation of joint projects between the Ministry of Science and Education, the Education Development Fund and the Press Council of Azerbaijan.

The international delegation was a guest of the EDF within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme

With the support of the Education Development Fund, within the framework of the Erasmus Plus programme the international delegation of the Information Coordination Center of Galician Youth visited our country for familiarization.

During the visit, representatives of several organizations from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Moldova, and Georgia got acquainted with the activities of various youth resource and career centers, vocational training institutions and other related organizations.

On December 9, the delegation was welcomed in by the Education Development Fund. Elnur Nasibov, Chairman of the Board of the EDF gave detailed information about the main goals and activities of the Fund.

During the meeting, issues of sustainable cooperation and partnership establishment were discussed with the representatives of the participating organizations.

The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the work done to ensure the employment of our youth.

The representatives of the Erasmus+ Programme got acquainted with the activities of “ASAN service”

A delegation of various state and private organizations from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Moldova, and Georgia visited our country with the support of the Education Development Fund within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme and got acquainted with the activities of the ASAN service center.

The guests were given detailed information about the activities of ASAN service centers. Also, information about other activities of the State Agency, the works carried out in the field of social innovations, and the achievements of the public legal entity ABAD were brought to attention.

The delegation got acquainted with the activities of the “INNOLAND” Incubation and Acceleration Center and ABAD on the spot.