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Yegana Khanoglan gizi Mammadova,
Senior Lecturer,
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pedagogy,
Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University,
Department of Pedagogy of Preschool Education,
Azerbaijan, Baku
ORCID: 0000-0001-8319-8849
https://10.5281/zenodo.17769826
Keywords: preschool period, training, upbringing, modernization, international standards
Abstract. Improving the education of kindergarten-aged children is one of the most important tasks today. In this sense, the preschool period becomes a necessary and very important stage for imparting many valuable qualities to the future personality. Therefore, preschool institutions should first of all take care of children by effectively using the opportunities of that stage, and implement the educational process with the help of various means and colorful and interesting events.
International experience shows that the complexity of the functions, content and new operating conditions of modern pre-school educational institutions have led to significant changes from the aspect of management organization: the complexity of the head’s work, the introduction of new approaches to management, the determination of new content, forms and methods for the organization of pedagogical activity, the subject-object relations «institution head-educator» In the system of «child-parent» relations, each personality requires to be established on the basis of «subject-subject» relation, which constitutes the self-development.
Introduction
Modern education is currently at a new stage of development – a stage of modernization. This is connected with both social and economic changes occurring in society. The main objective of the education system today is the renewal of education from a secular, civil, and universal perspective, as well as the formation of the child’s personality. Creating an education system capable of meeting the interests and needs of the individual at all stages of education is considered a crucial task. Such a requirement primarily calls for the strategic development of the content of instruction, along with the appropriate methods, forms, and tools. In preschool institutions, creating an environment based on the needs of society, aimed at the harmonious development of each child and staff member, and fostering effective motivation – grounded in a personality-oriented approach – constitutes the essence of organizing the pedagogical process.
The quality of preschool education lays the foundational basis for a child’s future learning success and social development. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to integrating international quality standards into Azerbaijan’s education system. This relates to improving national curricula, strengthening teacher training, and aligning children’s individual developmental indicators with international requirements. Education provided during early childhood directly influences a person’s future learning abilities, creativity, and social integration. For this reason, international organizations have established universal criteria to enhance the quality of preschool education.
Azerbaijan has also taken steps in this direction, beginning the implementation of international quality standards as part of its educational reforms. However, for this process to be successfully carried out, both the pedagogical environment and the management system must be appropriately adapted. International experience shows that the key indicators of quality preschool education include the favorability of the pedagogical environment, the emotional well-being of children, their social skills, the individualization of the learning process, and the presence of a continuous monitoring system. In the modern education model, preschool education is viewed as the first level of general education and as the foundation for ensuring equal opportunities for children’s successful preparation for school learning. Since the goals of modernizing education involve creating a sustainable mechanism for the continuous development of the education system, achieving these objectives requires addressing several issues, including ensuring that preschool education attains qualities that meet contemporary standards, similar to the higher levels of education. In this regard, the preschool period becomes a necessary and highly important stage for instilling many valuable qualities in the future personality of the child.
Therefore, preschool institutions must, first and foremost, take full advantage of this stage’s opportunities to care for children and implement the educational process through various means, employing diverse and engaging activities.
Main part. Currently, the general approach to the modern education process has changed. According to the requirements of contemporary education, it should be student-centered, humanistic, and development-oriented. Today, there is a basis for re-evaluating the theoretical and technological foundations of the education system. Due to ongoing societal changes, new demands have also emerged for its members.
International experience shows that the functions of modern preschool education institutions, the complexity of their content, and the new conditions of operation require significant changes in management organization: increased complexity in the work of the head, application of new approaches to management, identification of new content, forms, and methods for organizing pedagogical activity, and the establishment of subject–subject relationships within the “head-teacher-child-parent” system, enabling each individual to organize their own self-development.
As the first level of the unified education system, preschool education plays a crucial role in the intellectual, physical, and psychological development of children, in shaping their personalities, and in preparing them for school. The primary goal of educating the younger generation, including preschool children, is to form individuals who possess comprehensive knowledge, progressive worldviews, national and universal ethics, morality, and cultural values, and to cultivate worthy citizens for society. Therefore, it is essential to elevate the education of children in preschool institutions to meet contemporary standards.
The development of preschool education system is one of the strategic directions of the state education policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the state level, significant attention is paid to issues of preschool education.
On April 12, 2007, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed Decree No. 2089 approving the Program for the Modernization of Preschool Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan (2007–2010). This program outlined directions for the development of all areas of preschool education. The document emphasizes the importance of developing a preschool curriculum to renew preschool education: “…One of these directions is the development and proper approval of a national preschool curriculum aimed at content renewal of preschool education, which includes the main requirements for children’s physical, social-moral, aesthetic, and psychological development, the enhancement of perception and speech abilities, as well as the humanization of the pedagogical process.” [Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2007].
Accordingly, the urgent need for the development of preschool education standards has arisen, and work in this direction is already underway in the country. Establishing preschool education standards is essential for the comprehensive development of children and serves as a foundation for their subsequent growth.
One of the main trends in international practice regarding the content of education is the close alignment of educational curricula with a country’s socio-economic development requirements and priorities. Curricula should contain knowledge, skills, and competencies that serve the objectives of economic development. In countries that have achieved economic success, the creation of a knowledge-based economy is a priority of socio-economic policy; therefore, curricula particularly emphasize the importance of innovation, encourage learners to engage in various social activities, and focus on developing their academic skills.
On July 16, 2010, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted Decree No. 137 approving the State Standard and Program for Preschool Education. According to this document, the general learning outcomes in preschool education are defined across five areas:
1. Physical development, health, and safety;
2. Social-emotional development;
3. Speech, literacy, and communication;
4. Cultural-aesthetic and creative development;
5. Cognition and general knowledge [Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2010].
The document defines the general learning outcomes intended for the completion of preschool education based on these areas and provides guidance for preschool education staff for future work.
In 2012, when the Preschool Education Program (Curriculum) of the Republic of Azerbaijan was developed, integrative learning was adopted as a fundamental principle. The document emphasizes the importance of maintaining connections and continuity among preschool development areas, as well as developing knowledge, skills, and habits appropriate to the age group. Integration is based on the interrelation and interdependence of age levels and developmental domains. It is recognized that by acquiring integrative skills, children will understand the relationships among what they learn and will be able to apply this knowledge in solving personal and social problems.
The curriculum also requires that children can respond to societal processes. While education in the past was primarily knowledge-oriented, today it emphasizes not only knowledge but also life skills. According to contemporary standards, a child should be able to acquire and apply all relevant knowledge and skills independently in real-life situations. Overall, the preschool curriculum is aimed at shaping children as individuals, fostering independence and competence. Both the curriculum and its component, the standards, are evaluated based on their level of child-centeredness and results-orientation. The main objective of child-centered and results-based curricula is to develop active, conscious, responsible, and constructive individuals who possess high intellectual preparation, can apply acquired knowledge across all areas of life, and are equipped with national and universal moral values.
The State Strategy on the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan, approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 24, 2013, envisages comprehensive measures in five strategic directions to establish an education system in Azerbaijan that ranks among the leading countries in the world in terms of quality outcomes and inclusiveness, staffed by competent teachers and educational managers, and supported by infrastructure based on advanced technologies. [Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2013].
The first strategic direction is aimed at creating a competence-based, student-centered educational content and encompasses the important goal of developing curricula across all levels of education, including preschool, general, initial vocational, secondary specialized, and higher education. The second strategic direction focuses on the modernization of human resources in education. It serves to develop competent educators who apply innovative teaching methods and ensure the effective assimilation of educational content. This includes enhancing teachers’ professionalism, establishing new systems for assessing learners’ achievements, identifying and developing learners’ talents, and creating inclusive teaching methodologies for those with special needs.
The third strategic direction envisages the creation of accountable, transparent, and efficient management mechanisms in education. This involves modernizing regulation and management in the education system based on advanced international practices, implementing results-oriented and transparent management models in educational institutions, and establishing new information and reporting systems to ensure and monitor the quality of education. The fourth strategic direction focuses on creating an educational infrastructure that meets contemporary requirements and supports lifelong learning. It includes establishing infrastructure aligned with information and communication technology-based teaching methodologies, rationalizing the network of educational institutions, providing distance education, supporting the education and development of gifted and special-needs children, adult education, advisory services on vocational and educational matters through regional universal centers, building modern vocational training centers and complexes, and creating campuses.
The fifth strategic direction involves establishing a financing model for the education system in the Republic of Azerbaijan that is economically sustainable and aligned with the standards of the world’s leading education systems. This includes improving the mechanism for education financing using various sources, transitioning to per capita funding of educational institutions, supporting the provision of paid educational services, and creating an Education Development Fund. The aim of the strategy is to establish an education system in the country that ranks among the leading nations worldwide in terms of quality outcomes and inclusiveness, staffed by competent educators and supported by infrastructure based on the latest technologies.
One of the main priorities of the State Strategy on the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan is the rapid implementation of modern information technologies in the educational process, drawing on international experience.
Conclusion
Experience from countries that have achieved significant progress in education shows that modern, active-interactive teaching methods based on information and communication technologies, which foster creative thinking and consider the individual characteristics of learners, yield higher outcomes. To this end, the continuous development of progressive teaching methods and the enhancement of teachers’ competencies hold a central place in education policy. In the teaching process, educators select the most appropriate technologies from among the available options. In determining these technologies, both the educator and the child act as key subjects of the learning process. According to the preschool education program (curriculum), relationships between educators and children in preschool institutions are organized according to the “subject–subject” model. In this model, children develop their thinking and reasoning skills, while educators organize the conditions necessary for the child’s development. Educators act as subjects who coordinate and guide group learning activities, facilitating children’s independent cognitive activity and creativity, while children are encouraged to engage in independent exploration and creative endeavors.
This approach provides a new impetus for the development of teachers’ initiative and creativity, as well as for the implementation of the new curriculum. Efforts to renew content and apply technologies are understood as a move away from traditional forms of work.
The adaptation of international quality criteria to the Azerbaijani preschool education system can significantly enhance the efficiency of education and children’s developmental outcomes. To achieve this:
• National quality standards should be updated based on international benchmarks;
• Teacher professional development should be organized in accordance with international training models;
• The assessment and monitoring system should be transparent and continuous;
• The role of families should be considered a key indicator of education quality.
Thus, the implementation of international best practices serves as an important strategic direction for improving the quality of preschool education in Azerbaijan and ensuring children’s social and intellectual development.
References
1. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2007, April 12). Program for the modernization of preschool education in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Baku.
2. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2010, July 16). State standard and curriculum for preschool education. Baku.
3. Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2013, October 24). State strategy on the development of education in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Baku.
4. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. (2022). Preschool education program of the Republic of Azerbaijan (curriculum) (ages 3–6). Baku.