On October 25, Minister of Culture Adil Karimli visited the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts (ADMIU) and met with the staff. He highlighted the rich traditions of the university and noted the significant contributions of its graduates to the development of our culture.
It was noted that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, culture, along with other sectors, is receiving special attention in our country. The efforts of educators in this field are recognized and they are honored with various awards and prizes.
The Ministry of Culture attaches great importance to the training of personnel and closely cooperates with the Ministry of Science and Education in this area. The improvement of quality in the cultural sector is closely linked to the training of personnel. To make progress in this area, it's important to understand the interests and views of young people in their chosen fields. Despite the rapid innovations and developments in artificial intelligence in our era, the cultural sector is entirely dependent on the human factor—talented, skilled, and qualified personnel.
The Ministry of Culture has prioritized the development of human potential in cultural and creative industries. The first 20 students will receive support for their bachelor and master studies abroad. Talking about the development of the cinema industry, the Minister said that last year, in cooperation with the Azerbaijan Cinema Agency (ARKA), a competition was organized for film projects to be produced with state support and order. He noted that more than 40 films were completed as a result of this competition. In addition, the ministry plans to support student film productions.
The rector of the university honored artist Jeyran Mahmudova, thanked the minister for meeting with the team. She emphasized the importance of personnel training and mentioned the signing of a cooperation agreement between the educational institution and ARKA. As a result of this agreement, 12 film projects were started. Six of these projects have been screened, and the remaining six projects are currently being filmed. Kamal Mushfig Ibadov, an ADMIU student, received the "Best Documentary Director" award at the international student film festival "Voskhod," organized by the All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after Sergey Gerasimov, for his film "Motivator," one of the six projects. In addition, ADMIU received a diploma for its active participation in the festival.
The Minister considered their proposals on such issues as the publication of textbooks and study materials by professors and students of the educational institution, the appointment of actors to positions by the Ministry of Culture, raising young people's interest in cinema, free admission to theaters for ADMIU students, master's level education, training of managers, and new educational specialties, and answered their questions.
Regarding the publication of textbooks and teaching aids by teachers, the Minister said that the Ministry of Culture purchases books from national publishers every year. Since last year there has been an increase in the purchase of scientific and scientific-popular books, which are then distributed to the libraries of our republic.
Commenting on the appointment of actors by the Ministry of Culture, the Minister pointed out that every year about 60 students graduate from ADMIU's Faculty of Theatre Arts: "We must focus on placing these graduates in suitable theaters, and it is important to encourage private theaters to get involved.
Adil Karimli mentioned that in order to increase young people's interest in cinema, efforts are being made to expand film production in our country and to support student films.
During the meeting, a proposal for free admission of ADMIU students to theatres was discussed. The Minister mentioned that steps are being taken in this area. The Ministry of Culture and the Education Development Fund signed a cooperation agreement as part of the "Student Plus" project. The agreement provides for special discounts for students in theaters, museums, and reserves.
Speaking about the Master's program and new qualifications, the Minister noted that in recent years in our country the legal and regulatory framework of education has been improved, and significant work has been done to improve the material and technical support.
At the end of the meeting, the Minister wished success to the staff.