On April 15 the video conference dedicated to the discussion of the course of online lessons was held at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. Greeting the meeting attendees, ASOIU's Rector, Professor Mustafa Babanli noted that due to the steps taken by the Azerbaijani government in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people recovering from COVID-19 exceeded the number of infection cases. He noted that the coronavirus pandemic in the country has not reached a dangerous level due to the correct assessment of the situation by the country's leadership and the implementation of preventive measures. Rector M. Babanli said that compared to a number of countries, Azerbaijan has achieved a record number of tests for the timely detection of coronavirus infections and he linked this to the country's strong health care system. Noting that the quarantine regime will be in force in the country until April 20, Rector Mustafa Babanli during the video conference on the socio-economic results of the first quarter of 2020 recalled the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that the decision to continue or mitigate the quarantine regime will be made depending on the situation and called on everyone to follow quarantine rules. Referring to the government's decision to pay student' tuition fees from the state budget, Rector Mustafa Babanli said that the humanist decision to allocate 40 million manat for this purpose will be applied to about 16,000 university students, 6,000 college and vocational school students and will fully cover 2020 calendar year. Noting that the number of students studying at ASOIU on a paid basis is relatively small, the Rector said that work has begun to prepare a list of ASOIU students who are members of socially vulnerable families and submit this to the Ministry of Education. Rector of ADNSU M. Babanli added that the amount paid by students belonging to this category and who have already paid tuition fees will be refunded. Touching upon the course of online education at ASOIU, Rector M. Babanli said that online lessons for bachelor students started on March 29, and online lessons for master students began on April 3. Noting that 100% of lessons held online from March 31, the Rector underlined that the university has easily started online education due to the high-level electronic university system – Unibook at ASOIU. Noting that participation in online lessons is not mandatory, Rector M. Babanli then announced the daily statistics of students' participation in these lessons. Noting that about 85.5% of students attend online lessons, Rector M. Babanli stressed that a survey was conducted on how students evaluate online teaching. The vast majority of the 2,258 students attended the survey evaluated online lessons positively, and as a problem the low internet speed in some parts of the country was noted. Rector M. Babanli also shared his views on the thesis of students undertaking practical internship, the organization of the examination process, assessment of students' knowledge, subjects belonging to the group of technical and technological specialties and its hours. Making a speech ASOIU's Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor Gasim Mammadov, Head of the Department of General and Applied Mathematics, Professor Araz Aliyev, Dean of the Faculty of Geological Exploration Namad Pashayev and others made comments and suggestions. At the end, Rector M.Babanli expressed his gratitude to the ASOIU's academic staff for conducting online lessons at high level. Stressing to inform the staff and students about the government's recommendations on adherence to the quarantine regime, he expressed confidence that the state and people of Azerbaijan will successfully pass the test for the coronavirus pandemic.
