Out-of-school arts and cultural education is delivered through children’s music, art, painting, mugham, and ashing schools and centres under the Ministry of Culture. Schools provide primary and secondary education to children, adolescents and young people in the fields of music, painting and choreography; form their aesthetic taste based on the best examples of Azerbaijani folk, classical and world culture and art; create conditions for the discovery of the abilities of children, adolescents and young people and the development of their talents; are in constant contact with other educational institutions to strengthen the moral, artistic and aesthetic education of the growing generation; prepare the most talented and capable students for admission to secondary specialised and higher educational institutions in relevant specialities to continue their education. The school’s education duration is 4, 5, 7 and 11 years.
Music is taught in children’s music schools, painting is taught in painting schools, and music, painting, and choreography are taught in art schools. The following departments function in schools accordingly:
- On music: piano (piano-jazz, synthesiser), stringed instruments, wind and percussion instruments, folk instruments, khanende (mugham singing), vocals, pop singing, choir, as well as theory, composition and jazz-improvisation as a speciality class in 11 years of education, choir conducting, et cetera;
- On painting: painting department;
- On choreography: choreography department.
The schools have a theory department for solfeggio and music literature. This department may include music literacy and music listening, choir, harmony and other related subjects.
Music and art schools are state-funded. However, besides the state plan, the school can provide paid education in various specialities. According to data for the 2024-2025 academic year, 52,070 students are studying in 237 children’s music, art, painting, mugham, and ashig schools and centres of the Ministry of Culture system, of which 50,020 (96.06%) are studying at state expense and 2,050 (3.94%) on a fee-paying basis.
The Ministry of Culture is launching the Electronic System of Art Schools (“IMES”), a digital management platform for children’s music, art, painting, mugham, and ashig schools and centres. The platform will contain a database of teachers, pupils, the material and technical base, administrative staff, an automated system of courses, schedules, certificates, and journals, as well as analytical reports and analyses.
Content-related reform measures in out-of-school arts and cultural education implemented currently by the Ministry of Culture cover:
- Updating of the “The Model Regulations of Children’s Schools of Music, Art and Painting “;
- Preparation of a new curriculum concept and development of new curricula for specialities;
- Development of a new training module and new-generation textbooks;
- Elaborating a school development program and establishment of a teacher development mechanism;
- Developing a scientific research system, among other initiatives.
According to the Ministry of Culture’s “e-Culture” Digital Development Strategy, the admission process for students to schools for the 2024/2025 academic year was conducted online for the first time. Applications for admission to schools were registered through the MyCulture single personal cabinet, using the “Electronic Admission of Students” information system, and entrance exams were conducted in a centralised manner.
Also, a test stage of the competitions for recruiting directors, deputy directors and teachers to schools was held jointly with the State Examination Centre. The registration of candidates who earned the passing score and gained the right to participate in the interview stage was carried out through the “Teacher Recruitment” information system of “MyCulture.
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