Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
July 13 2004
AZERBAIJANI PUPILS IN AMERICA
[July 13, 2004, 20:54:05]
Press conference has taken place in the International Press Center
with participation of 55 pupils who have come back after end of
training in the USA in 2003/2004 educational year within the
framework of the Program of Exchange of Future Leaders of the Freedom
Support Act (FLEX).
As correspondent of AzerTAj reports, opening the conference, director
of the American International Council of Education (ÀÑÑÅLS) on the
country Jeremy Tash has told about essence of the carried out
program, has congratulated the pupils who rounded education, and also
sent in the USA in the next educational year, has wished them
successes. He has told: `Financed by the US State Department the
program FLEX functions more than 10 years and for this time more than
450 pupils from Azerbaijan within one year were trained in high
schools of the United State, having placed in the American families,
directly got acquainted with culture, traditions, customs of this
people. It is pleasant, that as against the last years in the
competition of this year, which has been lead among 9-10-11 grades of
Azerbaijan, schools, have taken part more than 2 thousand pupils.
Congratulating pupils, Minister of Education Misir Mardanov has told:
`Realization of this program is a part of the American – Azerbaijan
cooperation. It is very glad and proud of that we have youth of so
high intellectual level. They have adequately presented the country
in such state as the USA, and have come back with the big successes.’
The Minister also has recommended to the pupils sent in the USA in
the next educational year, to take with them materials, cassettes
about our Republic, its history, geography, culture, customs,
traditions, about our hardest problem – the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorny Karabakh conflict and more than one million refugees and
IDPs, and bring all this to the notice of public the USA which is not
having wide information on Azerbaijan.
The pupils have told about the impressions during their training in
America, residing at the American families, the won successes, about
similarity and the distinctive sides of education systems of two
countries.
At the meeting, there was the representative of US embassy in our
country on public relations Nile ÌcGertty.