Page 22 - DIVA_1_2017

INTERNATIONAL

Elite groups in

Azerbatjan's higher education

Dr. Shahin V. Bayramov

Vice Rector for International Affairs & Programs
and Associate Professor of International Eco-
nomic Relations Department at Azerbaijan State
University of Economics - UNEC

2015-16 Humphrey Fellow at the Pennsylvania
State University (August 2015-April 2016)

Visiting Scholar at Cornell University
(May-June 2016)

Abstract is a home for ten SABAH disciplines with 483 students. In
This paper focuses on the positive effects of elite groups other words, UNEC hosts about one third of all SABAH
project launched within Azerbaijan's higher education students. Despite functioning for only two years, SABAH
system. It mainly explains so called SABAH project in the groups made a significant contribution to UNEC, in gen-
context of Azerbaijan State University of Economics. The eral, by creating a kind of "virtuous circle" in which ad-
author discusses SABAH groups' positive influence on vantage begets advantage.
different aspects of higher education within the selected SABAH is centrally administered by the Ministry and this
higher education institution. He is applying the Matthew unique model offers direct academic, technical and fi-
Effect to support his arguments. nancial support to host universities. First of all, this proj-
ect diminished bureaucracy in terms of academic gover-
KEYWORDS: elite groups; higher education; positive in- nance and curricula development, traditionally existing
fluence; SABAH; UNEC; Azerbaijan in all public HEIs. The Ministry provides a full package
of expertise to day-to-day operations administration of
In 2014, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of SABAH groups at UNEC. More importantly, the Ministry
Azerbaijan launched so called SABAH Groups (SABAH is assumes responsibility for all SABAH-related academic
translated as a TOMORROW or FUTURE) project in order expenses (tuition fees, stipends, and faculty's salary). That
to raise the quality of higher education, to establish a mod- means UNEC gets additional funding from the govern-
ern and distinct environment in universities, and to bring ment.
the entire higher education system in line with current and
potential needs of the labour market. The main idea was Admission and Prestige
to create special elite groups within selected local higher Every second-year student enrolled at any local HEI
educational institutions (HEIs). The first year SABAH cov- may become a SABAH student at UNEC in the relevant
ered seven HIEs, thirty-four fields, and 755 second-year disciplines. The only eligibility requirement is to have a
undergraduate students. Currently, SABAH is functioning minimum GPA of 61 percent at the end of the first semes-
at eleven universities where more than 1,600 students (sec- ter. The applicants go through a simple admission exam,
ond and third year) are studying in forty-five disciplines. conducted by the Ministry, which includes a written test
(logics and foreign language) and an interview. The first
Governance of Elite Groups two years showed extremely high competition in admis-
As a fully economics and business profiled university, cur- sion to SABAH groups at UNEC. As a result, more than
rently Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) one hundred students, previously enrolled at other uni-

20 DIVA - INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMAT