Fighting corruption in education system vital for Azerbaijan's sustainable future, says OSCE Office

BAKU, 29 November 2006 - Ways of eliminating corruption in Azerbaijan's education system will be discussed at a two-day conference which opened in Baku today.

Organized by the OSCE Office in Baku, the American Bar Association/Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative and the United States Agency for International Development, it brought together over 100 local and international experts.

"Corruption is a stumbling block on the way to democracy and progress. It can jeopardize the success of long-term initiatives in any area of development," said Ambassador Maurizio Pavesi, the Head of the OSCE Office.

Pointing to the fact that the most affected by corruption in the education system are children and young people who have limited opportunities to fight it, he added: "The consequences for young people can be dramatic, and can interfere with their transformation into responsible and active members of society. That is why eliminating this problem is a cross-cutting task for the sustainable future of Azerbaijan."

Misir Mardanov, Azerbaijani Minister of Education, acknowledged the seriousness of the problem and called for comprehensive approach to solve it. "We should combine our efforts to tackle this problem in a consistent manner not only in the education field, but in a society as a whole," he said.

Participants at the conference will also discuss awareness-raising activities, analyze the draft law on Education, and develop practical recommendations on how to incorporate anticorruption measures into practice.