2.2 million students set to begin new academic year in Azerbaijan as Knowledge Day is marked nationwide
Azerbaijan officially celebrates Knowledge Day on September 15, established under the landmark decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on August 21, 2004.
Sea-news.az reports that the opening class across all secondary educational institutions this year will be dedicated to the “Year of Urbanism and Architecture”.
For the 2026–2027 academic year, an estimated 2.2 million individuals are projected to study across various educational tiers:
1.6 million students (including approximately 124,000 first-graders entering school for the first time), 260,000 students, 226,000 children, 64,000 (colleges/technical schools) and 44,000 (vocational schools) respectively
As part of the State Program on the Great Return, 15 new educational facilities are commencing operations in the liberated territories for the new academic year. These institutions span Aghdam, Aghdara, Khojaly, Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Khankendi, Khojavand, and Zangilan.
Accommodate 408 children supported by 123 staff members. Serve 4,825 students guided by 700 teaching and administrative personnel.
Over the past 25 years, nearly 4,000 school buildings have been newly constructed or extensively overhauled, significantly upgrading learning conditions for over 1 million students. Thirty-seven new or renovated institutions open their doors this academic year, with construction and design works ongoing at numerous others.
State preschool capacity has expanded from 106,000 to 112,000 slots through targeted provisioning and new group formations. The parent-state-private preschool model aims to scale its reach from 4,000 children last year to 10,000 this term. Enrollment slots in community-based preschool groups—designed for rural and remote areas lacking standalone kindergarten infrastructure—have surged from 23,000 to 36,000.
The Digital Skills project, which covered 528,000 students across 771 schools last year, expands to 1,000+ schools and roughly 630,000 students. The STEAM initiative continues its broad nationwide rollout following implementation in 407 schools reaching over 303,000 students. Piloted in 5 schools in 2024–2025 and expanded to 14 schools last year (boasting a 95% university admission rate among its inaugural graduates), this specialized educational model will now be implemented across 90 schools. Vocational admissions have grown significantly compared to 2021, with plans to build 21 new vocational institutions and overhaul 2 others by 2030, aligning programs directly with labor market demands in agriculture, industry, logistics, construction, and food processing.
Over 76,000 applicants have been admitted to higher education institutions for the 2026–2027 academic year, successfully fulfilling the annual target of 75,000 admissions outlined in the Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 2022–2026 ahead of schedule. Admissions priorities reflect structural shifts: teacher training slots are being optimized, while intake capacity for engineering, information technology, and natural sciences is actively expanding. Under the State Program for the Education of Youth in Prestigious Foreign Higher Education Institutions for 2022–2028, exactly 500 candidates have earned scholarships for the new academic year: 125 at the undergraduate level, 356 at the master’s level, and 19 at the doctoral level.
