Azerbaijan highlights education grants as tool of global cooperation

Azerbaijan views education as an important component of international cooperation, with grant programs for foreign students serving as one of the key mechanisms of this policy, Science and Education Minister Emin Amrullayev said.

According to Olaylar,  he made the remarks at the conference "Strengthening Global Solidarity through Humanitarian Assistance and Development Cooperation," dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the Azerbaijan International Development Agency (AIDA).

Amrullayev said that between 2018 and 2023, special educational grant programs for citizens of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement enabled nearly 200 foreign students to pursue higher education in Azerbaijan.

Building on this experience, a new and broader initiative - the Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant Program - was established by decree of President Ilham Aliyev in 2023.

The five-year program provides an opportunity for 500 foreign students to receive higher education in Azerbaijan.

In its first year, grants were awarded to 100 students from 35 countries. The following year, the program"s geographic reach expanded to 51 countries.

"These figures are important, but the value of such programs cannot be measured by numbers alone," Amrullayev said.