The shooting at the lyceum highlighted the problems in the education sector in Azerbaijan.

THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC, OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC.

Educational institutions in Azerbaijan have problems with security and psychological work, which became especially noticeable after the incident involving a teenager who wounded a lyceum teacher with his father's rifle in the Binagadi district of Baku.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on February 8, a Baku court remanded in custody the tenth-grader who opened fire with his father's rifle at the lyceum. Doctors described the teacher's post-operative condition as stable. The incident occurred on February 6 on the grounds of a lyceum in the Binagadi district. According to investigators, a tenth-grade student wounded a teacher with a hunting rifle belonging to his father.

The incident, which took place at a lyceum in the Binagadi district of Baku, was commented on February 9 to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Azad Isazade, an expert in psychology and a psychotherapist with many years of experience, Samad Rahimli, a legal expert and head of the "Defender" Legal Center, and an anonymous civil society activist.

The incident at the private lyceum is the first time a student has opened fire in an educational institution in Azerbaijan, noted Azad Isazade.

"Several years ago, there was an incident when a senior student stabbed a teacher. There have also been stabbings between schoolchildren. But this is the first case in my memory where a student has shot. While the investigation is ongoing, various theories may be developed. But given the age of the shooter, it is necessary "It's important to take into account the teenager's psychological state. At this age, a person is already physically an adult, but mentally not yet strong. Adolescents can be categorical, often cruel, and for them, there are only black and white. Sometimes even a careless, but completely justified, remark can have a very negative impact on a student and lead to bullying from classmates," Isazade said.

Therefore, he continued, there must be constant communication between teachers and parents to prevent incidents between students and between students and teachers in a timely manner.

In today's world, where might makes right, aggression has increased, and this affects the way people think and behave, including children and teenagers, whose psyches are unstable.

The expert also shares the common point of view that the teenager could have been influenced by information from the media and social media, as well as similar cases of school shootings in other countries, particularly in The United States and Russia. "In general, in today's world, when might is right, aggression has increased, and this affects people's thinking and behavior, including children and adolescents, whose psyches are unstable. Showing footage of shootings can subconsciously trigger a desire to commit similar acts and thus "assert themselves," Isazade said.

The tragic incident at the Idrak Lyceum revealed shortcomings in psychological work with students and in the school's security, according to Samed Rahimli.

"A psychologist position has been introduced in Azerbaijan's public secondary schools. Such a position should also be established in private educational institutions. Teenagers, given their age, require special supervision. "But apparently, the Idrak Lyceum overlooked the problem with the student who carried out the shooting," he said.

The lyceum's security is responsible for not suspecting that an object of such a size was brought into the school.

According to him, there have never been any cases of student-initiated shootings in Azerbaijani schools before. "However, we had the unfortunate experience of a massacre at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in 2009, when an intruder, having entered the university, opened fire on everyone in sight. After that, universities and schools began paying attention to safety and security issues. According to media reports, the student fired a hunting rifle. The father of the injured teacher also reported that pellets were removed from her neck. This confirms that the shot or shots were fired from a hunting rifle. If so, then the lyceum security is responsible for not suspecting that an object of such a size was brought into the school. "The pistol could have been hidden, but professional security guards should have noticed the rifle," Rahimli noted.

He recalled that the lyceum is private, and therefore requires a fee, so the owner and administration could have ensured reliable security and installed a scanner. However, despite the lyceum being a private institution, the Ministry of Science and Education, as the regulatory body, is also responsible for the incident.

In his opinion, the investigation should examine not only the actions of the student and his parents who allowed him to use the weapon, but also the official responsibility of the officials whose negligence led to the shooting. "They should, at the very least, face disciplinary action," Rahimli said.

Commenting on criticism on social media that official authorities are not disclosing the identity of the student and his parents, Rahimli noted that maintaining confidentiality in this matter is correct. "The accused is "He is a minor, so his identity and that of his parents will not be disclosed unless the parents themselves make a public statement," Rahimli said.

He believes the teenager's detention is justified. "The accused's age allows for the use of a preventive measure in the form of arrest and isolation from society. But I hope he was sent to a specialized facility rather than a general pretrial detention center," Rahimli said.

Because the school is fee-paying, the administration ordered teachers to be "extremely careful," supposedly out of respect for the children's individuality. In reality, this means tolerating their whims.

A civil society activist agreed to comment on the incident on condition of anonymity. "The incident occurred in one of Baku's expensive lyceums. The annual tuition is 16,500,000 manat, or almost $10,000. Children from wealthy families attend the school, so there are many spoiled children among the students. The teenager who committed the shooting apparently came from such a family. According to social media, he targeted the teacher. Apparently, the conflict stemmed from the teacher's demanding nature. Because the school charges tuition, the administration orders teachers to be "extremely careful," supposedly out of respect for the children's individuality, but in reality, this means tolerating their whims. A relative of mine was invited to work at this lyceum about 10 years ago. But then, because of these demands, she left there," the activist said.

Parents noted increased security measures in educational institutions

Local media, citing their sources, are publishing some details of the incident.

According to Modern.az, "the student who shot his teacher often showed interest in videos depicting violence and armed incidents on social media, especially on the TikTok platform, and liked such posts."

According to available information, before shooting the teacher, he went to the restroom and changed into khaki clothes similar to those he was wearing in the videos he had watched. Then, returning to class, he shot the teacher. It is also noted that the student came to school with a large bag for two or three days in a row before the incident. He was stopped several times by a school security guard and asked what was in his bag. He said that the bag was He was wearing sportswear and showing it off. After the incident, teachers entered the classroom. At that point, he panicked and said something like, "I didn't mean to shoot," the publication writes.

According to Ajans.az, the content of the TikTok reposts by the student who shot his teacher "was primarily about Vladislav Roslyakov, a participant in the tragedy that occurred in the city of Kerch in 2018."

Law enforcement agencies are not commenting on the lyceum shooting. The Prosecutor General's Office press service was unable to provide comment. The Binagadi District Court only confirmed to a Caucasian Knot correspondent that the student had been remanded in custody for four months on charges under Articles 29 and 120 (attempted premeditated murder) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. The city medical center assessed the injured teacher's condition as "stable."

Security measures have been increased at the Idrak Lyceum following the incident. "Today (February 9th) my child was checked with metal detectors at school for the first time. He was unhappy, of course, but we're all for it. The most important thing is the children's safety," said Irina Agayeva, whose son attends a lyceum in Baku's Sabail district. "Today (February 9th), at my daughter's school, they checked children's backpacks before letting them in. I don't know how long this will continue, though. But after what happened, we began to fear for our children. Previously, we only saw this on the news. But what happened somewhere far away has now happened in our city. Perhaps teachers and parents need to communicate more closely to prevent such tragic events in time. It's good that the teacher survived and no one else was hurt," Elvira Musayeva, the parent of a child who attends a school in Baku's Nasimi district, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.