Gazakh Teachers' Seminary: The School of National Self-Awareness

The educational heritage of Azerbaijan is a source of national pride for all. Throughout history, Azerbaijani teachers and intelligentsia devoted themselves to serving the nation, educating society, and transforming innovative mindsets into a national treasure.

Azerbaijani educators have always reflected succession, tradition, innovation, and reform in their lofty educational mission. Gazakh Teachers' Seminary, the heir of Gori Teachers' Seminary, is an embodiment of their services and endeavors.

Education, Missions, and Protection

The incredible journey of relocating the Azerbaijani branch of Gori Teachers’ Seminary to Gazakh, Azerbaijan, is a testimony to the unwavering determination of Firudin Bey Kocharli, the Azerbaijani enlightener and founder of Azerbaijan literary historiography, and his mission aide, his wife Ms. Badisaba (mainly recognized as “Badisaba ana” or “Mother Badisaba” due to her remarkable services).

The age of Seminary is 1918 - ∞ 

The Gazakh Teachers' Seminary is a narrative of rebirth. 
Established in 1918, the Seminary operated as Gazakh Pedagogical Technical College from the 1920s until the 1940s. Throughout its existence, 3000 + educators were trained here until 1959. However, from 1959 till 2022, the Seminary stopped operating; the doors were closed and the classrooms filled with a melancholic darkness. But all the darkness was a sign of the brilliant tomorrows that awaited the Seminary.

ADA University made a very long distance, and reached Gazakh by following the footsteps of education devotees, with one mission in mind: give a second life to the Seminary, reopen its doors, light up the dark classrooms, and ignite the flame of enlightenment more fervently than ever before. 

So, to one who asks about the age of the Seminary, ADA University proudly gives an answer: 1918 - ∞

The Second Life of the Seminary

Missionaries of education ignited the flame of enlightenment and worked tirelessly towards educating the sons and daughters of our nation. They served and successfully fulfilled their mission. Inspired by the services of its successor, ADA University embraced a noble pursuit, encouraged its philanthropic partners to forge a commitment to breathing a second life into this temple of enlightenment. 

ADA University signed an Agreement of Intention with its philanthropic partners. The ADA University Foundation and its partners including the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations, NEQSOL Holding, Heydar Aliyev Foundation, PMD Group MMC and Azerbaijan Society of America came together to rebuild and renovate the Seminary. It was a testimony of the University-Industry partnership towards building a powerful intellectual force taking its roots from the Seminary.

ADA University gives another title to its Seminary mission—reviving the educational tradition and showing exemplary action in heritage protection.

For ADA University, tradition is a source of inspiration. This is how ADA University expresses gratitude to those who engraved their name forever in the history of Azerbaijani education. This is how ADA University took ownership of our inheritance in the modern educational age.

ADA University Gazakh Center

The ADA Gazakh Center, the heir of the Gazakh Teachers' Seminary, restores the tradition of cultivating pedagogues with true citizenship values and strengthens the regional teacher's capacity by empowering them with global teaching practice. The Center's main goals are:

• Achieving excellence in education in the regions by empowering teachers through knowledge and skills.
• Improving the teaching profession through helping to raise the bar of teaching, sharing best practice, and helping colleagues overcome any challenges they face in their schools/universities/vocational schools.
• Creating a network of new generation of teachers who will take ownership and responsibility in ensuring the success of their students and schools and creating the best models of excellence for that.
• Recognizing success stories and best practices of teachers in the regions through participation in professional development programs in ADA (Baku and DC Campus) annual awards, fellowship programs, teacher exchange programs, conference participation/presentation, publications.

Projects and Events

Conference dedicated to 160^th anniversary of Firudin bey Kocharli was held at ADA Gazakh Center on January 28th, 2023. Besides panel disscussion dedicated to the life of first director of Gazakh Teachers’ Seminary, the graduation ceremony of the first group of teachers, particpants of “Bir Muellimin Manifesti” certificate program.


Project – based olympiad named “Young Founders of Azerbaijan”

With the initiative and organization of the ADA Gazakh Center and the support of the, Karabakh Revival Fund, special representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories included in the Karabakh economic region,

called "Young founders of Azerbaijan" among schoolchildren under the slogan "Restoration of Karabakh through the eyes of students" the project was held. It was the first project-based learning Olympiad in the country.

 V English language Olympiad

The English language Olympiad held among secondary schools of the country was organized for the first time in the Seminary for students from the regions. In the 2022-2023 academic year, 50 schoolchildren from the Ganja Basar regions tested their English language knowledge at the ADA Gazakh Center. 

 “ADA Goes to Regions” project

ADA Gazakh Center with initiative of BMM 2021 alumni ADA teachers and administrative staff members organized a series of classes in the regional high schools. Under this program there were planned systematic visits to schools in regions to train 9-10 grade pupils The main goals of the project were to lay the foundation for the sustainability of the professional development program of ADA University aimed at the development of teachers in the regions and to ensure that the representatives of ADA share their knowledge and experience about the future specialization options for the pupils of the region and ensure that the pupils benefit from their knowledge.

Conference on "Unity of Education and Culture: Examples and New Mission"

At the conference dedicated to International Teachers' Day and the anniversary of the Agreement of Intent signed for the restoration of the Kazakh Teachers' Seminary, the social importance of charity, the connection established between the past and the present by the entrepreneurs who revived our historical values ​​with their noble deeds, and the manifestation of this connection in science, culture and the process of training teachers were discussed. The traditional graduation day for “Bir Muellimin Manifesti” certificate program participants was also launched on the same day.

Have more questions? Contact us by phone or e-mail

Phone: +994 12 437 32 35 extension 900
E-mail: qms@ada.edu.az
Adress: Gazakh region, Shahidlar Khiyabani №1

Team