Parent: "We've spent money on the child, cut from our own needs — how do we now tell them their admission process has been cancelled?"

Changes have been made to the admission process for several lyceums and gymnasiums located in Baku and various regions of the country — just 10 days before student application submissions were set to begin.

According to the Education Institute, admissions to the aforementioned lyceums and gymnasiums will now only be conducted for 6th-grade students (for admission into 7th grade).

Last year, however, these educational institutions accepted students into 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

The decision to limit admissions solely to 6th-grade students has sparked outrage among parents.

Ilhama Manafova is one of thousands of parents who have been preparing their children — in her case, a 5th-grade student at School No. 149 — for admission to a gymnasium. She says some children have been preparing for two years, and now, their futures have been altered overnight by a surprise decision.

"Those who can afford it enroll their children in expensive private lyceums. Families with limited means cut from their own needs so their children can attend state-run lyceums and gymnasiums for a better education. Is it fair to trample on the rights of so many children and parents? I’m at a loss for words. Let’s say we’ve spent money on the child, sacrificed our own needs — how do we now tell the child, 'Hey, your admission process has been cancelled'? For more than a year, they’ve been deprived of all entertainment so they could focus entirely on their preparation and gain admission to these schools. They’ve attended both regular school and preparatory courses for lyceum and gymnasium exams. We've had to buy so many books. And now, at the end of the year, we’re told that admission will only be for 6th grade. How can a government that talks so much about rights and justice act so unjustly?” the parent asks.

Ilhama Manafova adds that if such a decision was to be made, it should have been announced at the start of the academic year — in September — so parents could adjust their plans accordingly.

Speaking to Demokrat.az, education expert Kamran Asadov stated that this is not merely a technical change, but a severe blow that disrupts the life plans of thousands of families, negatively impacts children's psychological well-being, and damages the trust between the state and its citizens:

“The Ministry of Science and Education's abrupt and unjustified cancellation of entrance exams for 4th-grade students applying to lyceums and gymnasiums — without any public explanation, transitional period, or prior notice — is unacceptable from both a managerial and ethical standpoint in education.”

He noted that parents have spent years preparing their children for lyceum admissions, involving expenses for courses, private tutors, mock exams, psychological support, and comprehensive family planning:

“Trusting in the centralized admission system, thousands of families have taken on significant financial and emotional burdens to prepare their children for lyceum admission starting from 4th grade. Now, with a single bureaucratic decision, this opportunity is being entirely eliminated — without public consultation — effectively nullifying those families’ efforts and the children’s hopes. How are we supposed to explain to children that the 'rules of the game' have changed — in the middle of the game?”

The expert questioned: if this decision was made based on pedagogical and strategic grounds, why has no public rationale been provided, and why hasn’t the Ministry of Science and Education disclosed the criteria on which the decision was based?

“After all, this is not just a technical procedure; it is a critical mechanism that determines the educational trajectory of thousands of children. If the decision pertains to the 2025–2026 academic year, then why wasn’t the change announced a year earlier? How is it that last year 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th graders could sit for the entrance exams, and now suddenly only 6th graders can?” he asked.

Asadov emphasized that this approach severely violates the principles of transparency and consistency in governance:

“According to the law, any change to the centralized admission procedures must be presented to the public in advance, formalized through a normative legal document, and announced at least one academic year in advance. Otherwise, it constitutes administrative arbitrariness and a violation of families’ right to plan. Article 5 of the Law on Education states that the education process must be organized transparently and predictably. This decision is neither transparent nor predictable.”

According to the expert, the decision also undermines the principle of social justice in education, and families who have invested in preparing their children for lyceum admission through private tutors now face both financial and emotional losses.

However, there is neither an official apology nor any alternative proposal to address these losses. Ultimately, this step undermines the principle of "trust in education," which is a key part of the social contract between citizens and the state, he added.

“The Ministry of Science and Education must answer to the public: why was this change not announced earlier, on what basis were admissions by grade level halted, and what compensation or alternatives are being offered to the thousands of affected families? If we want trust and planned development in education, such decisions must be made through public dialogue, with transitional periods and legal justification. Right now, we are simply witnessing chaos — and unfortunately, that chaos is being caused by the very institution responsible for our education system,” Kamran Asadov concluded.

As of now, the Ministry of Science and Education has not issued a public statement on the matter.

However, the Education Institute told Qafqazinfo that the issue is under consideration, discussions are ongoing, and further information will be shared with the public soon.