"NOW IS THE TIME, HERE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY"

Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Reno L. Harnish
International Conference on Higher Education Reform in Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan
February 2, 2005

I would like to thank Rector Samed Seyidov, and congratulate him and the University of Languages for conceiving and hosting this event. The U.S. Embassy is proud to help sponsor this international conference. It is an incredibly important initiative. I would like to extend warmest greetings to everyone here at the University of Languages, to the organizers of the conference, to the illustrious guests and participants, and to all the guests. I also extend congratulations to the Minister of Education and his Ministry for embracing the idea of this conference and helping it to move ahead. The desire to bring our countries closer together by integrating our systems of higher education is deserving of high praise.

For over a dozen years, Azerbaijan has struggled to recover from the past seven decades of Soviet control. The country has been beset by troublesome neighbors, as well as by internal challenges. Consequently, reform efforts in every sphere have been slow to take hold. Efforts at reforming education have been particularly slow and scattered. The "transition phase" has dragged on. But now it is time for a "reformation" to begin in earnest. These are exciting times -- in this region, in this country, and in this capital city. "Now is the time, and here is your opportunity."

Azerbaijan is seeking to join hands with the United States, Europe, and their partners. Azerbaijan is an important strategic partner of the U.S., and so we warmly extend our hand to you in this effort, as in many others. One of the keys to Azerbaijan achieving its goals is educational reform. Indeed, this is probably the single most important objective for long-range achievement.

Historically, education has played an enormous and vital role in the growth and development of the United States. It is certainly one of the chief reasons for the level of success that the United States now enjoys. The strength of our democratic institutions, the dynamism of our economic enterprises, the spectacular achievements of our creative visionaries in the arts and sciences - these are all the fruits of our educational practices. And our education has sustained us so well because of the outstanding system that our scholars, teachers, and administrators have worked hard to refine. This model has been adopted in large part in many countries around the world. Thanks to its flexibility and its "universal" appeal, it has been adapted to fit the needs of many quite different societies and cultures, irrespective of race or religion or politics or geography.

The United States and the U.S. Embassy strongly support the goal of educational reform desired by so many Azerbaijanis citizens and their leaders in public and private sectors. We conceive and carry out a great many educational programs in Azerbaijan, and a considerable amount of our resources are dedicated to educational initiatives. Our programs encompass individual exchanges at every educational level, including the FLEX program for high school students, U-Grad for university undergraduates, Junior Faculty Development for young educators working at colleges and universities, Muskie Fellowships for Master's Degree studies, and Fulbright Scholar exchanges for senior academics and researchers. These individual programs are complemented by our institutional collaborations, such as the University Partnership program. I see in the audience several rectors of universities that have engaged in our partnership programs.

We also have professional exchange programs that involve entrepreneurs, business people, government representatives, NGOs, and the media. These programs provide participants with valuable professional learning experiences -- that can be applied to circumstances here in Azerbaijan on their return.

We are especially proud of our Fulbright Scholars program. For this conference we have brought to Baku two international experts on higher education: Mr. Lincoln Morris and Dr. Judson Taylor. These men will be sharing their considerable experience and expertise with you over the next several days. And we are especially proud of our two American Fulbright Scholars, Dr. Richard Kortum and Dr. Jeffery Howlett, who are in Azerbaijan this academic year working on educational reform at their respective host institutions. This ambitious conference, in fact, is the centerpiece of Dr. Kortum's Fulbright project.

On behalf of the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy, I call on all of you here this morning to support this effort to reform the ideals, the objectives, the practices, and the organization of higher education in Azerbaijan. In particular, we call on the political leaders to support these proposed reforms. In the next few months, the BTC pipeline will be flowing with oil. Revenues will flow into Azerbaijan - tripling the economy. Some of this new wealth must be channeled into educational reform. You must invest in your own future. You must invest in your own people. Schools need to be improved, books and computers need to be purchased, teachers' salaries need to be raised. Now is the time, and here is your opportunity.

Every open, democratic, market-oriented society requires the highest quality of education. As democracies develop, standards in education must be raised. Indeed, it is chiefly through significant improvements in education that a country is enabled to advance on the world stage. For educational reforms to take root, there must be a clean, open system. There must be an end to personal profiteering and corruption. Failure here means that a country's schools and universities cannot be trusted. A clean and open system gains the highest measure of credibility. For Azerbaijan to become integrated with the West and into the world community, this is absolutely essential.

The benefits of higher education reforms in this country will be enormous. Well-educated individuals are crucial to a self-governing populace. There will be a positive impact on the economy: better-educated graduates will mean better jobs. Better-educated graduates will enable companies to compete successfully in regional and global markets. Creative, empowered individuals will become entrepreneurs. They will create new jobs. International cooperation and exchanges of all kinds will expand. Azerbaijan will thrive, and will once again be recognized as an important nation on the world stage.

We have here in this hall an extraordinary gathering of highly educated, talented, and motivated individuals. Working together, there is no limit to what can be accomplished. This conference can be the springboard to the next phase of development in Azerbaijan - to your Reformation. The people outside this hall are waiting. They and their children and their children's children are depending on you. The time of transition draws to a close. The time for reformation is upon us. Together we must seize the opportunity and walk boldly into a new and better future. Now is the time and here is your opportunity.

Thank you and good luck.