Why literacy rates are higher of Azerbaijan?

Answer 1

• One of the greatest legacies that Azerbaijan has inherited from the past is a strong educational system. Formal education began at the turn of the last century and coincided with Azerbaijan's oil boom. It became even more widespread and prominent during the Soviet period.
• Azerbaijan is a relatively small republic; in fact, eight countries the size of Azerbaijan could fit inside of Texas. Nevertheless, despite how small we are, approximately one-third of our population is engaged in education. That means nearly 2.2 million people out of a population of slightly more than 7 million are either teachers or students. During the Soviet period, Azerbaijan had an extremely high literacy rate of 99 percent and was known for its well-educated population. In fact, our literacy rate was higher than those in most Western nations.
• People usually are surprised to learn that Azerbaijan's national budget allocates more to education than to defense.
• Therefore, 18 percent of the national budget is designated for education, which is nearly the same percentage that some of the most advanced Western countries allocate. Parliament has just passed their 1997 budget and allocated 648 billion manats ($151.4 million) to education while only spending 357 billion manats ($83.4 million) for defense. In fact, some Parliament members are complaining about what they see as the relatively low level of military spending at a time when the country is still in conflict with neighboring Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Our teachers receive the highest salary among government workers-on average approximately $15 to $30 per month depending upon the level and courses they teach. Even doctors working in government institutions officially make less.