On September 14, Sumgayit State University hosted the first meeting of the Scientific Council in the format of a video conference, dedicated to the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year.

Rector congratulated the members of the Scientific Council and the staff on the beginning of the new academic year. He noted that the agenda of the Scientific Council included preparations for the new academic year, discussion of curricula and current issues.

Chairman of the Scientific Council, Rector Professor Elkhan Huseynov spoke about the important measures taken by President Ilham Aliyev to protect the health of citizens during the pandemic, to provide comprehensive care to families in need of social support, to ensure the stability of our economy. He noted that the global pandemic, as in all areas, has not passed unnoticed in the education system. Due to the current situation, universities have chosen the path of distance education and started to ensure the sustainability of education as a priority. It is gratifying that Azerbaijani higher education institutions have quickly adapted to this process. In order to successfully implement pandemic control measures, urgent steps have been taken at Sumgayit State University, emphasizing that in the second semester of the last academic year, education, and then examinations and graduation theses were defended online. The rector said that according to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers № 332 of September 10, 2020, the 2020/2021 academic year will start online. Thus, first-year students will be involved in full-time education from October 1, and classes for second-year and senior students will begin online on September 15. In accordance with the instructions and recommendations of the Ministry of Education, the teaching process at Sumgayit State University will be organized using the Zoom online conference program and the Microsoft Teams platform, and the Moodle system for offline education. The rector also noted that according to the decision of the Ministry of Education, students who do not participate in more than 50% of the hours allocated for the subject will not be allowed to take the exam.

According to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, a quarantine room will be established at the university, the room will be equipped with the necessary equipment, and the necessary work will be done to follow the rules of personal hygiene and disinfection. Naib Hajiyev, vice-rector for Economic Affairs, has been appointed as the person in charge of operational control at the University to control

the observance of the requirements of these rules. The person in charge of operational control will contact the officials of the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance. Then the rector noted that all heads of departments should be acquainted with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers and the relevant order of the Ministry of Education, and the requirements specified in these documents should be fully met in the educational process.

Vice-Rector for Teaching Organization and Training Technologies, associate professor Natig Talibov informed about the state of preparation for the 2020-2021 academic year and the approval of curricula developed in accordance with the new educational program. Speaking about the preparations for the 2020/2021 academic year, the vice-rector said that the necessary work has been done to organize teaching online, taking into account the organization of both online and traditional education, curricula, lesson plans, teachers and lesson schedules have been prepared. This year, about 20 graduates of our university have been provided with jobs.

He noted that in accordance with the instructions and recommendations of the Ministry of Education, the teaching process at Sumgayit State University will be organized online using the program of online conferences "Zoom" and the Microsoft Teams platform, and offline form using the Moodle system for distance education.

Director of the Teaching Methodological Center senior lecturer Faig Shirinov informed about the results of the summer semester, docent Sabir Khalilov, head of the Doctoral and Master's Department about results of admission to master’s level, docent Gafar Atayev, vice-rector for International Relations, informed about the tuition fees of international students.

Scientific Secretary Professor Mukhtar Samadov gave detailed information on the approval of Curricula, Syllabuses prepared in accordance with the new educational programs and the right to publish teaching aids.

Concluding the meeting of the Scientific Council, Rector Professor Elkhan Huseynov wished success to the whole team in the coming academic year.