President Ilham Aliyev orders per-student school funding reform

A new financing mechanism will be introduced at state general education institutions.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the matter.

Under the decree, starting from the 2026-2027 academic year, state general education institutions will gradually be financed from the state budget based on the per-student financing principle.

At state general education institutions covered by the per-student financing model, an adjustment coefficient for different levels of general education will be applied to the annual education costs per student, differentiated by the types of general education institutions.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall:

3.1. Within one month, approve and report to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan the amount of annual education costs per student by type of general education institution at state general education institutions financed under the per-student principle, as well as the procedures for financing such institutions from the state budget and applying adjustment coefficients for different levels of general education to annual education costs per student;

3.2. Resolve other matters arising from this decree.

4. The Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan, determine for each subsequent calendar year the list of state general education institutions to be financed from the state budget under the per-student principle, as well as the number of students enrolled in them.

5. The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall ensure that measures arising from the implementation of this decree are financed from the state budget.

The per-student financing model generally links public funding to the number of students enrolled, while differentiated coefficients can account for variations among education levels and institution types. The decree assigns the Cabinet of Ministers responsibility for establishing the calculation and implementation rules before the system is introduced.