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Interview of Rector of Baku Higher Oil School of SOCAR Elmar Gasimov to the ‘Report’ News Agency

Rector of Baku Higher Oil School of SOCAR (BHOS) Elmar Gasimov gave an interview to Report.

Below, we present to your attention this interview. 

- The new academic year starts today. The university admission results were announced recently. Baku Higher Oil School was again a leader in terms of the highest passing scores. We would like you to tell more about this achievement.

- Baku Higher Oil School begins the new academic year on September 15, Knowledge Day, with great achievements. As in previous years, our admission rates for the 2023/2024 academic year were very high. Thus, according to the results of admission, this year Baku Higher Oil School was one of the few higher education institutions that executed fully the admission plan. This year the "Information Security" specialty of Baku Higher Oil School had the highest passing score of 673.3 in the country.   

In general, this specialty has been chosen as the specialty of the year since we started teaching it. The country's most knowledgeable, skilled and highest-scoring applicants choose Baku Higher Oil School and this specialty. We are pleased with such a high popularity of this specialty. This engineering specialty is a specialty of great importance for enterprises and companies operating in our country. In addition, I should note that Baku Higher Oil School accounts for 3 of the 4 specialties with the highest passing score in the country. The choices of our knowledgeable, skilled young people who scored high on the admission exams show that the results of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are having their effect. As you know, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a digital revolution, and among the specialties chosen by our young people are IT and chemical engineering specialties related to green technologies.

This year, about 50 students chose the specialty "Information security".  Our students start working part-time in these specialties at various companies, enterprises, and even online while studying in the second and third years. That is, young people do not choose this specialty to get a job. An educated young man should like a profession and specialty and make his choice later. If we say that he chooses this specialty because of work, we would be wrong. This is the demand of the times. We are in a digital world.  Every step we take starts and ends with the application of digital technologies. That's why young people love these professions.

I would also like to emphasize the success of our students in international and local competitions, the fact that most of our graduates have started working in prestigious institutions, and some of them are studying in foreign universities with scholarships.

- What innovations were implemented at BHOS for the new academic year and what were their main goals?

- Of course, in modern times, every university has and should have goals. BHOS has set goals since its inception and confidently steps towards them. Whichever goals are reached, new goals are defined. The constant dynamic development of our university and its flexible functioning depend on its goals. The first of today's goals of our university is to maintain our reputation, to encourage more knowledgeable and capable young people to choose BHOS, and to expand our international cooperation. It is planned to open new specialties at BHOS. Negotiations are underway with partners to that end. For example, we are preparing to open a master's program in renewable energy engineering. Together with Heriot-Watt University of Great Britain, we are working on opening this specialty. In addition, preparations are being made to open the Computer Science specialty. According to the cooperation agreement signed with Uzbekistan, work is being carried out on the opening of two specialties – Petroleum Engineering and Chemical Engineering in English. Additionly, negotiations have already started with Israel's Technion University on cyber security.

At the same time, we, together with Boğaziçi University, have launched the Leadership Academy in our university for top strategic managers of SOCAR. Today, this Academy is operating successfully here. We continue the School of Project Management (SPM) together with Duke University, USA. That is, we have many goals. If earlier our goal was to become the most prestigious university in Azerbaijan, today it is to be recognized worldwide, to take a place among the top universities and to be included in their ranks.

- Baku Higher Oil School also has a well-equipped campus. What conditions have been created at this campus for students?

- Our campus meets modern standards with high conditions. It has teaching buildings, a congress hall, a large football stadium with 1000 seats, two indoor stadiums, an indoor swimming pool, a Student House, laboratory centers, and a canteen. All necessary conditions for university students have been created there. In the administrative building located in Khatai, training is organized for students of the Preparatory Year, as well as for master's students studying in our MBA and engineering specialties. Second, third, fourth and fifth year students study in our campus located in Bibiheybat.

- How many specialties are being presently taught at BHOS? Do you plan to increase the number of specialties in the future?

- Currently, Baku Higher Oil School offers 6 specialties: Information Security, Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Business Administration, Process Automation Engineering, Petroleum Engineering at the bachelor and master degree levels, and the MBA program. Negotiations are underway to start admission to several specialties, especially Computer Science at the undergraduate level, Renewable Energy Engineering at the master's level, and Labor Protection.

- Cooperation agreements are signed with several foreign countries on a regular basis. Does BHOS implement any student exchange programs? In total, how many foreigners have studied at BHOS so far? How many of them were admitted to the university this year? 

- The international relations of our university are expanding every year. We have very close partnerships with global oil companies and transnational companies operating in Azerbaijan, and we carry out direct cooperation with about 50 universities across the world. We plan to implement interesting projects with many foreign universities. We cooperate with China Petroleum University. Recently, we organized a summer school on "Energy transition in oil-producing countries" for about 20 young engineers from Germany. A group of students from China will soon come to BHOS for summer school. The number of foreign students studying at our university is increasing every year. Students from countries such as Nigeria, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, and Afghanistan study at Baku Higher Oil School. They apply for engineering specialties.

- BHOS students regularly received scholarships from foreign countries. How many students have received such scholarships so far?

- This year alone, about 30 of our graduates won the "State Programme for the education of young people at prestigious higher education institutions of foreign countries for 2022-2026" approved by President Ilham Aliyev. This is the highest indicator among Azerbaijani universities. That is, BHOS graduates hold the first place among the winners of the State Program. At the same time, our graduates get scholarships from USA, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, Poland, Australia and other countries. Our goal is not to train specialists for foreign counties. Our goal is to train a high-skilled personnel who can compete successfully in the labor market. BHOS graduates are employed primarily at SOCAR and other multinational companies in the country.

- Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) and BHOS are the main higher education institutions providing higher education in the oil field in Azerbaijan. Why do high-scoring applicants choose BHOS? What are the main advantages of this university? How do you convince young people to study here?

- Several universities in the world provide education in one specialty. For example, in Turkey, the Middle East, Istanbul and Yıldız Technical Universities teach the same specialties, and there is a healthy competition between them. Thanks to this competition, these educational institutions were included among the prestigious universities of the world. ASOIU is a prestigious, long-standing higher education institution and the main difference between ASOIU and BHOS is that classes are conducted entirely in English at BHOS. Secondly, the programs of our university fully meet the requirements of the modern era. They were developed based on the programs of the world’s most prestigious universities.

BHOS puts main emphasis on practical training. As a university of SOCAR, we are practically a higher industrial school. A triangle of industry, teaching and scientific research has been formed here. That is why BHOS is very attractive for young people and they choose it. A healthy environment, young teachers, practical training, social activities, international cooperation, students exchange programs and other advantages make BHOS attractive for knowledgeable and capable young people.

- Do the students who scored high marks on the admission exams keep on doing well at BHOS? 

- 90% of students admitted to BHOS achieve their goals with great success. Of course, not all students have the same responsibilities and goals. The student who fails is transferred to another university and continues his studies there.

- Have there been any cases of expulsion of students studying at BHOS? If so, what were the main reasons for it?

- This situation is usually connected with continuing education abroad. If the program load here is heavy for the student, he can be transferred to another university. It is gratifying that to date no student has been expelled from BHOS for disciplinary violations. Our students are well-educated and well-bred young people with high moral values and other qualities peculiar to Azerbaijani youth.

- Baku Higher Oil School has achieved many international successes. However, BHOS has been not included in the ranking of top foreign universities? What are the goals of BHOS to move forward in this direction?

Since Baku Higher Oil School was founded, our first goal has been to gain prestige in the country. You will also agree that it is impossible for the youth of Azerbaijan who do not have reputation in the country to enter the top ranking of world universities without gaining a reliable status. Today, the students who scored highest in the entrance exams choose our university. This is our success. Today, a number of foreign countries' dual diploma programs are operating in Azerbaijan. The fact that our young people choose the diploma of Baku Higher Oil School shows that we have a great reputation in the country. Our next goal is to enter the ranking of world universities. We have exceeded a number of indicators to this end.  For example, our campus operates with high standards, and we apply an anti-plagiarism system. Transparency, career opportunities, the large number of our specialists in the labor market, etc. are also our advantages. However, there is work to be done in the field of research. We have big plans in this area. If these plans are realized in the near future, we will see the name of Baku Higher Oil School among the prestigious top universities.

- Are there BHOS graduates who work as teachers at Baku Higher Oil School?

- The biggest companies of the world and Azerbaijan invite our knowledgeable and capable students to work with them. BHOS also hires its graduates as highly skilled specialists. Currently, about 40 graduates work as teachers and managers at our university. This number is increasing every year. Our graduates not only hold superior positions, such as a deputy dean, department head etc. at BHOS, but they also work as teachers and researchers here. I invite our knowledgeable, high-achieving young people to work with us. We are trying to ensure that these young people stay at BHOS and continue the wonderful traditions here.

- What can you tell about the intra-team relations at BHOS? Does the university meet the gender equality requirements?

- You would rather ask this question to the members of our team, because my answer to this question may be based on subjective factors. In general, our team works in a healthy environment and pleasant atmosphere. There can be observed an integration of youth dynamics with the experience of the older generation here.  All teachers and team members show great respect to each other. We all are honored to be members of the SOCAR and BHOS family. Each of us is trying to protect and promote the name and reputation of SOCAR and BHOS in the country.

Gender equality is maintained at a high level at BHOS. Our female employees work as professors, teachers, managers and administrators here. Of course, women constitute a majority in the education sector in Azerbaijan. In a word, in our institution, we feel the superiority of women in terms of gender.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the educational community, including first graders, 1st year students, their parents and teachers, on the beginning of the new academic year and the Knowledge Day, and I wish them success!