Education is our future, the main field defining our development perspectives. We strive to pay a constant attention to this field in Azerbaijan and undertake practical measures, foster logistical support of educational system and most importantly, increase the quality of education as well. And this process should be conducted and in consistent, harmonized and systematic ways both at secondary and higher education institutions. Ilham Aliyev The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan SCIENTIFIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF STUDENTS ADMISSION TO HIGHER AND SPECIALIZED SECONDARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2011/2012 M.M.Abbaszade, T.A.Badalov, O.Y.Shelaginov 1. ADMISSION OF STUDENTS TO HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Admission of students to higher education institutions of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the academic year 2011 – 2012 was held by the State Students Admission Commission (SSAC) in full conformity with the “Admission Rules for higher and specialized secondary education institutions on the basis of complete secondary education of the Republic of Azerbaijan”. According to the admission rules, admission to all civil higher schools, special purpose education institutions of the Ministry of Defenсe, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the State Border Service has been held in a centralized way. At first sight, although there are annually repeated procedures and regulations, the activities of the SSAC are improved year after year, in general. Innovations, first of all, derive from the necessity of taking into consideration the development demand of society, education system and qualified provision of the youth’s interests to education. Therefore, proposals from the public to SSAC are analyzed, demands of graduates are studied, summarized, and changes are made in necessary cases. The innovations are intended to provide the integration of logistics, content and technology of admission examinations into the international standards. The following innovations have been applied in the process of admission examinations for higher and specialized secondary education institutions for the 2011 – 2012 academic year: 1. In accordance with the Presidential decree No 156 “On implementation of Education Law” of the Republic of Azerbaijan, dated September 5, 2009 and Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan of March 18, 2010 on “Content and rules for organization of residency training”, the admission examinations for residency were held in a centralized way by test method for training of medical specialists on the basic medical higher education. STUDENTS ADMISSION - 2011 : RESULTS 1 2. The reception of applications for residency for training of medical specialists on the basis of higher medical education was carried out via Internet. 3. For the first time, the admission examinations for higher education institutions were held in Lankaran and Shaki cities along with Baku, Nakhichevan, Sumgait and Ganja; 4. Open-ended test items in the test block on Mathematics were also used in the admission examinations for higher education institutions on all speciality groups; 5. “International relations” and “Region studies” specialties in speciality group III were moved to speciality group II; 6. For the first time, instead of test items, the aptitude examinations for applied specialties were held on “Fine arts”, “Musical science”, and “Theatre, cinema and choreography” directions in the second stage of admission examination for the master’s level of higher education institutions. In order to take part in the admission examinations for higher education institutions and for specialized secondary education institutions from the basis of complete secondary education, high school graduates filled in their electronic application forms from the 20th of April till the 31st of May via Internet and from April 27 till May 31 confirmed their applications by submitting their required documents to the appropriate Commissions for Reception of Documents (CRDs). The full text of announcement for the reception of applications for admission was published in the 2nd issue of “Abiturient” journal for 2011 and brought to the attention of public. At the same time, all information concerning the admission examinations has regularly and promptly been put on the official web site of the SSAC (www.tqdk.gov.az). In addition, the rule for filling in the form “Applicant’s Electronic Application ” has visually been explained and demonstrated repeatedly to applicants via TV channels. Applicants filled in the form “Applicant’s Electronic Application” by visiting the appropriate page of the SSAC’s web site (www.tqdk.gov.az/ali2011). Then applicants confirmed their applications by submitting the required documents to the corresponding CRD. Commissions for Reception of Documents were organized in all regions of the republic for the reception of documents and the confirmation of electronic application forms. High school graduates of the current year confirmed their applications in the following CRDs by submitting the required documents: In Baku: Binagadi district – schools number 115, 276 and 297; Khatai district - schools number 58, 95 and 249; Nasimi district – schools number 19 and 46; Sabail district - schools number 51 and 190; Sabunchu district – schools number 96 and 307; Garadagh district - school number 139; Khazar district – school number 136; Nizami district - schools number 242 and 250; Narimanov district - schools number 47 and 193; Yasamal district - schools number 158 and 225; Surakhany district - schools number 85 and 104. In other regions (cities): District (city) educational departments. Applicants who finished comprehensive schools in the previous years, the graduates of higher and specialized secondary education institutions, as well as high school graduates of the previous years, who failed to receive a school-leaving certificate but were allowed to take part in the centralized final exams this year, confirmed their applications in the following CRDs: In Baku city: Baku State University; Azerbaijan Technical University; Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University; Azerbaijan Tourism Institute; Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; Qafqaz University; Khazar University; “Azerbaijan” University; Baku Business University. In other cities and regions: In Nakhchivan Regional Branch of the SSAC in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic; In Sumgait Sumgait State University and Sumgait Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Ganja Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, Ganja State University and Azerbaijan University of Technology; In Mingachevir Mingachevir Polytechnical Institute; Mingachevir Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Lankaran Regional Branch of the SSAC in Lankaran; In Shaki Shaki Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Gazakh Gazakh Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Aghjabadi Aghjabadi Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Jalilabad Jalilabad Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Guba Guba Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Salyan Salyan Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Shamakhy Shamakhy Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; In Zagatala Zagatala Branch of Azerbaijan Teachers Institute; 2 ABITURIENT / special issue The citizens of foreign states and persons without citizenship, including the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan under 16 till April 30, 2010, confirmed their applications in the following CRDs: In Baku: The SSAC; In Nakhchivan: Regional Branch of the SSAC in the Nakhchivan AR; In Ganja: Regional Branch of the SSAC in Ganja; In Lankaran: Regional Branch of the SSAC in Lankaran; In Guba: Regional Branch of the SSAC in Guba; In Shaki: Regional Branch of the SSAC in Shaki. All conditions have been created for the Azerbaijanis living in the Republic of Georgia to submit their documents to the Department of Education of Gazakh district. The admission to higher schools for the academic year 2011 - 2012 was carried out in four speciality groups. Group I consists of mathematics, physics, engineering, chemical technology, architecture and design specialities; group II consists of economy, management, sociology, international relations, regional studies, and geography specialities; group III consists of humanities, pedagogics, arts, and music specialities; group IV consists of medicine, chemistry, biology, agrarian, psychology and sport specialities. Speciality groups were distinguished from each other for the composition of examination subjects. Weighting coefficients of examination subjects in group III were different depending on the speciality. So, this group was divided into two subgroups. For calculation of the total score with respect to a particular speciality, comparative points scored by an applicant in each exam subject were multiplied by weighting coefficients depending on the importance of the subject for the selected speciality, and then, all the scores in exam subjects were summed up. Two types of weighting coefficients have been introduced with this purpose (“2” and “1”). Speciality groups, subgroups and appropriate weighting coefficients are presented in the following table: Table 1.1 EXAMINATION SUBJECTS AND THEIR RELATIVE WEIGHTING COEFFICIENTS ACCORDING TO SUBGROUPS SPECIALITY GROUPS, SUBGROUPS AND RELATIVE WEIGHTING COEFFICIENTS Examination subjects GROUP I GROUP II GROUP III GROUP IV R IC DT XH TK Native Language 1 1 2 2 1 Literature