• The Center for Innovations in Education (CIE) has organized a training on policy making for researchers and experts as part of the Education Reform Strategy foreseen by the government.

ISSA’s member in Azerbaijan, the Center for Innovations in Education (CIE), together with the Caucasus Research Resource Center of Azerbaijan have implemented a training on policy making to education experts and researchers who will take part in the future education reform and policy planning at country level. The training program, which ended this month, lasted eight weeks and has been supported by the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan. It focused on planning, preparation, analysis and evaluation of education policy, research methodology indices and policy options in educational issues. “After the Government approval of the strategy for Education Development, it is highly important to improve the qualifications and expertise of the officials from the governmental education sector as well as all the stakeholders who will take part in the future educational reforms” declares Eltaj Muradli, CIE Communications Officer. Moreover, the Center for Innovations in Education has been recently ranked as one of the top 20 world’s leading think tanks in the 2013 Global Go to Think Tank Index published by the University of Pennsylvania (USA). The index measures the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies worldwide and is part of the research conducted within the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP). Since its establishment in 2004, the Center for Innovations in Education (www.cie.az/en) has focused on early childhood development, educational policies and research programs aiming at equal opportunities for all children. ISSA is a vibrant network that connects professionals and non-profit organizations working in the field of early childhood development. Established in the Netherlands in 1999, ISSA’s community today stretches across the globe with its more than 50 members primarily located in Europe and Central Asia. Building upon the Step by Step Program initiated by the Open Society Foundations in 1994, ISSA aims to ensure equal access to quality care and education for all young children from 0 to 10 years old. This mission is implemented through three main pillars of action: equal access for all children; promoting high-quality and professionalism in early years services and empowering parents and communities to be part of the children’s development and learning. For more information on the ISSA network, please contact Alejandra Mahiques at amahiques@issa.nl. http://www.issa.nl/sites/default/files/www-issa/Training%20future%20policy%20makers%20in%20Azerbaijan-ok.pdf