Experts state that violence problem in Azeri schools and kindergartens is hushed up

Cases of beating children up by employees of schools and kindergartens are quite frequent in Azerbaijan, but they are rarely made public and get authorities' reaction, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have stated in their comments on the recent resonant violence case against a child in a kindergarten.

On January 13, a video was circulated on the Internet, in which a female kindergarten educator in Azerbaijan, with a mobile phone in her hand, hits a child who is eating on the head.

After she hit a kindergarten pupil, the above nursery-kindergarten educator from the city of Ismayilli was fired, Djasaret Valekhov, the head of the press service of the country's Ministry for Education, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Violence against children is widespread in Azerbaijan, Limunat Amrakhly, a child psychologist, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The latest cases became known due to the spread in social networks; therefore, the above ministry had to react promptly. But many cases of slaps, hits and blows remain inside walls of schools and kindergartens, and without any reaction of the ministry bosses. Parents often know about what is happening with their children, but they themselves are interested in concealing the facts," the psychologist has noted.

Etibar Aliev, an MP of the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) and the head of the NGO "Education – 21st Century" and member of the public council under the Ministry of Education, also does not treat the publicized cases as isolated ones. According to his version, violence in kindergartens and schools is quite common and causes no discontent among parents, who believe that "if educators are teaching, they have the right to punish." "These are remnants of Soviet methods of upbringing. We must get rid of them; in our time any violence is unacceptable," Mr Aliev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 20, 2022 at 02:53 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.