Rector of the ADA University Hafiz Pashayev briefed the head of state on the history of the Seminary and the conditions created at the Center.
It was stated that the history of the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary is linked to the establishment of the Transcaucasian Teachers' Seminary in Gori in 1876. In total, 250 Azerbaijanis, including Jalil Mammadguluzade, Firidun bey Kocharli, Safarali bey Valibeyov, Nariman Narimanov, Suleyman Sani Akhundov, and Uzeyir bey Hajibeyli graduated from Gori Seminary.
After the fall of the tsarist regime in 1918, the Transcaucasian Teachers' Seminary was partitioned, and the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary was founded on the basis of the Azerbaijani branch. Firidun Bey Kocherli oversaw the transfer of the Azerbaijani branch from Gori to Azerbaijan. The Gazakh Teachers' Seminary was inaugurated formally on November 10, 1918, in a house donated by a Mashadi Ibrahim from Gazakh region.
In 1999, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, signed an order to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary and addressed a congratulatory letter to the participants of the Republican Scientific and Practical Conference
On November 3, 2018, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed orders marking the 100th anniversary of the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary, and the 150th anniversary of Firidun Bey Kocherli on February 14, 2013.
ADA University will restore Gazakh Teachers' Seminary building, which is considered as the pearl of our educational history in the framework of its initiative.The ADA University Foundation and its partners including the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, Negsol Holding, PMD Group and Azerbaijan Society of America were involved in reconstruction, which started in October 2021. Taking into account that the seminary building is a historically important object, restoration works were carried out with a special approach. On January 26, 2023 an event dedicated to the 160th anniversary of Firidun Bey Kocherli was held at the Gazakh Center of ADA University, the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary.
It was noted that the ADA University Gazakh Center has been operating in the historical building of the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary since October 2022. From the 2022-2023 academic year, two master's programs of School of Education are being implemented at the Center. 33 students were accepted to the ceive a master's degree in the programs on Education Management , and Teaching and Learning and completed the first year. From the 2023-2024 academic year, the Gazakh Center will accept the students to Master of Public Administration. From the new acedemic year, 94 students were admitted to these three majors. In total, 127 students will study at the Center.
It was noted that starting from 2022, ADA University is implementing its initiative titled "Bir mualimin manifesti" ("Manifesto of a Teacher and an Educator"). In the framework of the program, teachers and directors selected through interviews from the regions are involved in teaching at the Gazakh Center in the first stage, in the ADA University in the second stage, and in the ADA Washington Center in the third stage. During the preceding year, a total of 38 teachers and school directors engaged in the professional development initiative through this program. In the current year, the program enlisted the participation of 20 participants. Among the first 38 participants of the program, 4 people were selected and started working as employees at the Gazakh Center of ADA University. The main goal of this program is to provide selected educators intensive English language classes, create a visual experience connection with American schools in order to become familiar with the educational system of developed countries.
The ADA University is planning the construction of a New School for 10-11th graders, the opening of several bachelors’ specializations, and the establishment of a college.
The faculty of ADA University are involved in the teaching of master's programs currently operating in the Center. They are regularly seconded to Gazakh city. For this purpose, the University is having the Teachers’ House built for its teachers and professors. The Teachers’ House, which is under construction, is intended for permanent employees of ADA University from the regions working in the Center and seconded teaching staff.
It was stated that the activity of the scientific-research department and the organization of various types of educational and cultural international events are planned in the Center. Within these activities, the full corpus of "Azerbaijan" newspaper, organ of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic government is being prepared for publication by transliterating it from the Arabic script into a Latin script Azerbaijani alphabet.
After the renovation of the 19th-century local historical Israfil Aga bath, which is part of the educational complex of the ADA gazakh Center, it is intended to open a museum and art club containing examples of the Gazakh carpet weaving school. It is also an ideal venue for intimate literary, musical, and cultural events.
