Publisher

Gunay Hamidova
 
78 
INTRODUCTION 
Education was and remains to be among one of the main priorities of the governments’ 
policies, because (1) education provides value to society and (2) it increases productivity and 
economic growth. These two reasons formulate two certain theories or approaches to 
education[16].
The first approach is functionalism, which underlines main functions of education such as 
(1) provide social value; (2) create more informed society; (3) establish equal opportunities for all 
regardless of circumstances. Furthermore, education also plays major role to produce good 
citizens for society. Saul Padover [15] considers that without education there is no longer 
existence of the democracy, thus democracy functions with wise and honest people. Moreover, 
education should be equal. A French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu states that, if education 
continues being unequal for individuals to achieve it, inequality in society will be going to 
enlarge [4]. 
The second approach is so called as human capital theory. This concept claims that through 
education states build human capital, which results as increase in an economic growth. Adam 
Smith and John Stuart Mill also believed that there is a link between education and economic 
growth [5]. According to marginal productivity theory payment of the employees depends on 
additional productivity to the work. In this meaning governments’ spending on education 
encourages economic growth. It is also stressed that education performs not only as investment, 
but also as consumption good, where learning process is itself fun and people also can choose 
which kind of schools or institutions of higher education they want to attend. With the rise and 
advancement of human capital as a scientific base, a few scholars expansively tried to reveal how 
the human capital could add to socio-political improvement and stability of a society [2; 13; 18] 
As a matter of the fact educational policy stands for practice of decisions and debates done 
in this field. Within more than 20 years of the dessolution of the soviet system of education there 
is urgency and important need to research on educational policies of post soviet countries. 
Concerning the quote by Harbinson and Myers “Education is a seed of development”, we can 
particularly emphasise the importance of education in transition countries. Above of the facts 
mentioned already, the post soviet countries crossed long way on transition from totalitarian 
rejime to democratic republics. Each state determined its priorities and developed in the different 
ways, however the prior goals were quiet similar such as adaptation the planned economy to the 
market economy, democratization of the state, improvement and development of the legislature, 
making society and politics more open and etc. These all factors stated above had impacts on 
almost all policies and educational policy was not an exemption.
After collapse of the Soviet Union Estonia became a leader in economic growth among all 
post-soviet countries as well as left behind neighbourhood Baltic states Lithuania and Latvia. In 
the short period Estonia had handled to establish enhanced communication infrastructures and 
by 2002 the state was grounded for testing new technology by companies such as Ericsson and 
Nokia in the market. The country’s IT and telecommunication developments were the quickest 
growing among all post-soviet countries. According to these factors, it will be valuable to analyse 
two cases Estonia and Azerbaijan after the collapse of the Soviet Union from comparative 
perspective, while this two countries share mutual history for nearly half a century and grew 
differently after reestablishment of independence. 

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