Azerbaijan's education minister says AI could make student assessment more objective
Minister of Science and Education Emin Amrullayev said on 5 October 2026 that effective use of AI in assessment could produce more objective, faster evaluations of students, APA reported.
Azerbaijan's Minister of Science and Education (Elm və Təhsil Nazirliyi), Emin Amrullayev, said artificial intelligence could make student assessment "more objective" and faster if used effectively, speaking at the 7th International Forum on New Challenges in Education on 5 October 2026, APA reported.
What the minister said
- Discussions are needed on what role AI should play in Azerbaijan's education system, Amrullayev said, calling it "among the most controversial and uncertain subjects" on the forum's agenda, held under the slogan "More Educated Future", according to APA.
- He rejected the idea that AI will replace teachers as a cliché, saying: "Artificial intelligence is already a reality; we cannot deny that."
- On assessment specifically, he said: "Effective use of artificial intelligence can play a role in student assessment," adding that this "could lead to more objective evaluations and, at the same time, accelerate the process."
- Amrullayev said realising that potential depends on learning to use the technology properly, APA reported.
Why it matters
The remarks are the first time the minister has publicly argued the case for AI-assisted evaluation, an area the ministry's September memorandum with OpenAI already lists among its teacher-support aims, alongside AI tools for teaching, which the ministry covered in a three-year memorandum with OpenAI signed by the same minister in September 2026. Amrullayev gave no timeline, pilot or budget for using AI in assessment, so the comments describe a direction the ministry is considering rather than a programme already under way.
What it means for Azerbaijani institutions
Education policy sits inside Azerbaijan's Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2025–2028, approved by presidential decree in March 2025, which lists training a qualified workforce for the AI industry among its four goals, according to the decree reported by Aze.Media on 19 March 2025. A minister publicly weighing AI in assessment gives schools, universities and ed-tech developers an early signal that evaluation tools — alongside the tutoring and lesson-planning aids in the same memorandum — may become a procurement and policy area to watch, though no tender, standard or pilot has yet been announced.
