Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli has addressed the expanded collegial meeting regarding the Ministry's activities for 2023-2024.
In his speech, Adil Karimli touched upon the ministry's activities in the fields of arts, cultural heritage, publishing, cinematography, and cultural and creative industries.
"Azerbaijan Culture Ministry organizes its activities in the fields of arts, cultural heritage, publishing, cinematography, and cultural and creative industries. Efforts are being made to ensure that activities in these areas correspond adequately to the overall development of the country. Successful performance in the field of culture heavily depends on the knowledge and skills of its administrators, as well as their worldview. To this end, partnerships have been established with several higher education institutions," he said.
The Minister also stated that starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the preparation of specialists in cultural law at the master's level will be implemented at Baku State University.
"Currently, there are four students studying in the Azerbaijani section and one student in the English section of this specialization. In addition, the realization of specialist training in the fields of 'Cultural Manager', 'Cultural Law', 'Cultural and Creative Industries', and 'Cultural Heritage' in partnership with ADA University and several universities in Italy within the framework of a dual program will play a significant role in achieving the goals set in the field of culture."
Adil Karimli also spoke about new approaches being implemented in the recruitment of teachers, directors, and deputy directors to improve the staffing of art schools, with this process being conducted electronically through a competitive selection process.
"New approaches are being implemented in the recruitment of teachers, directors, and deputy directors to improve the staffing of art schools, with this process being conducted electronically through a competitive selection process. Sixty-five percent of the newly hired teachers hold higher education degrees. The number of individuals with higher education in the field of culture has increased by 4.13 percent compared to 2023. This is an ongoing process, and our goal is to further increase this number," Adil Karimli said.
He emphasized that the Culture Ministry also focuses on assessing the knowledge and skills of teachers working in artistic educational institutions. To this end, the certification of teachers is planned to take place between 2025 and 2026.
Speaking about the activities of museums and art galleries, the Minister noted that a registry and digital archive of the Azerbaijan State Art Gallery has been created by the "Deloitte" company, which is also continuing work on the inventory and barcoding of exhibits at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, the Azerbaijan National History Museum, Azerbaijan State Museum of Musical Culture, as well as National Museum of Azerbaijan Literature.
In his speech, Adil Karimli pointed out that three films were produced in 2023 with the support of the Culture Ministry and the Cinema Agency, while in 2024, this number reached 21. The production of 26 films is currently underway.
Speaking at the expanded collegium meeting on the Culture Ministry's activities for 2023-2024, Adil Karimli said that in recent times, the country's leadership has been paying close attention to improving the material well-being of theater workers and the technical equipment of theaters.
The Minister added that the "national" status has been awarded to the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre, the Azerbaijan State Theater of Young Spectators, and the Ganja State Drama Theater.
Meanwhile, the "international" status has been awarded to the Shusha State Musical Drama Theater. Efforts have been also made to improve the level of cultural participation in the regions.
In 2023, an expert council was established to evaluate the annual repertoires of theater and drama institutions, as well as drama performances ordered by the state.
Also, "national" status was given to the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre, and "leading" status was given to the Shusha State Musical Drama Theater.
Moreover, International status was given to the International Mugham Center.
