In today’s world, that country has the advantage of manifesting itself who prioritizes fostering brilliantly educated and intellectually advanced generation that currently is a pivotal value and decisive force in achieving the goals of democratic development, modernization and renewal. This idea is embodied in certain practices and achievements, since, according to foreign experts, the education system in Uzbekistan ranks among the world’s most progressive.
The key objective of the national education system comes to building of the intellectual and spiritual capacity of the youth, nurturing a new well educated generation in the spirit of patriotism and high spirituality, respect for noble national and universal values, as a matter of the the future of Uzbekistan.
The issues of upbringing and education of the younger generation as the country’s pillar in the future have been in the spotlight of the public since the beginning of 2017. The whole range of resolutions focuses on the effective development of this system.
Uzbekistan has created and is constantly streamlining the conditions, which help everyone start an independent life being equipped not only with a profession, but also with a job. Much has been planned to be done in the framework of the Actions Strategy along five priority areas of the development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021.
The question about the role of young people in the further development of the country involuntarily leads to the employment program: almost 500,000 jobs are created for college and university graduates throughout a year. Just imagine: half a million jobs for young professionals who have just graduated from educational institutions!
They are a powerful force, a powerful resource for further dynamic development of the country. It is worth mentioning, that most often, young men and girls act as the driving force in the introduction of advanced technologies, creation of new high-tech industries and economy. For example, IT can confidently be regarded as an industry of the young people today.
At the same time, college students are regarded as not just future employees of existing enterprises and organizations, but also as potential employers. A component of the training programs that are aimed at the development of entrepreneurial skills has been significantly strengthened in recent years. Parliamentarians, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and commercial banks have been actively engaged in the process. As a result, the number of last year’s graduates who opened their business exceeded 30,000.
It is hard to imagine an area of public life today, which would operate without active involvement of young people. It is enough to mention the ongoing initiatives under the auspices of the Public Youth Movement Kamolot: cities and villages are being landscaped, rallies to support the lonely and elderly are organized, and new comfortable facilities are being built.
The entire youth policy of the state is focused on the idea of educating a comprehensively advanced generation, and its active involvement in the development processes of the country.
The Action Strategy and ongoing programs are aimed at the development of all educational institutions. The further strengthening of logistical capacity of educational institutions is in progress. Over 350 schools, 250 secondary specialized and vocational education institutions are being revamped and overhauled annually; a network of universities and extracurricular education institutions, as well as an advanced training system has been developing.
At the same time, there is an obvious emphasis on current initiatives on improvement of quality of the 12-year compulsory free education.
The revision of the activities of the institutions of secondary specialized and vocational education system ranks among the latest measures. It implies that, following the results of compulsory education, that is, nine school grades and three years at a college or lyceum, a student is not just empowered to enter the university, but also becomes a sought after specialist. This is a reason behind a resolution, under which academic lyceums now provide a specialty that does not require in-depth learning, while they focus on the main mission of preparation for entering a university.
The work of vocational colleges is built in such a way that each graduate was employed after receiving a diploma. The contractual system that guarantees a production training for students with the further employment has been streamlined. Unlike previous practice, the new contracts are also signed by a district governor, apart from a student, head of the educational institution and an employer, which creates additional guarantees for the implementation of the contract terms.
In many ways, the reforms of the Cabinet of Ministers are aimed at streamlining of namely this work. They imply that the youth policy, which primarily comes to the improvement of the upbringing and education system, is directly administered by the Prime Minister of the country. The introduction of a position of deputy governor on youth affairs in the composition of local administrations has contributed to the establishment of a drastically new system of prompt response to youth issues. All the measures are expected to contribute to the further improvement of quality of the pillar of the upbringing and education system.
This also applies to the program of measures on the improvement of the pre-school education system, because such important features as the desire for knowledge and learning are laid in each of us namely at this stage. The national program for 2017-2021 focuses on the same objectives.
A broad range of measures have been scheduled for this period. They envisage the creation of conditions for the comprehensive intellectual, moral, aesthetic and physical development of children with an eye to the best foreign practices. Specialists work on improvement of curricula and programs on training and professional development of pedagogical staff of pre-school educational institutions, taking into account current pedagogical technologies and methods.
There is a need to strengthen the logistical capacity of 2,200 pre-school educational institutions, build new pre-school educational institutions in rural settlements, and equip them with tools, devices, teaching aids and multimedia that meet modern requirements. The implementation of these measures provides for allocation of 2.2 trillion soums.
The coverage of children by pre-school educational institutions will be increased by 1.5 times. 6,100 short-term groups will be created for alternative preparation of children for school. The existing network of pre-school educational institutions will be expanded through the construction of 50 new, reconstruction of 1,167, and overhaul of 983 existing institutions.
The adopted program took into account the interests of those who do not attend nursery schools. Better quality of pre-school education for this category of children will be achieved through the provision of their parents with methodological aids.
Another important document – a five-year program for the development of higher education – is currently under development in the framework of the Actions Strategy along five priority areas for the development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021. It is an obvious follow up of the one that was completed last year.
Over the past five years, Uzbekistan has created mechanisms to address the problems associated with strengthening the logistical capacity of higher education institutions, ensuring its compliance with international standards. The buildings of the Navoi State Mining Institute, Bukhara Engineering and Technology Institute and a dozen of other universities have been revamped and repaired over the recent years. The works will be continued. The construction of new campuses for Tashkent State Dental Institute and Tashkent Architecture and Construction Institute has been underway.
Meanwhile, the content of the staff training system will be the spotlight of the new program. It has been significantly changed over the past five years. The total admission quota for this period was not changed much – about 57,000 people for the first course, while specialties undergone significant changes. The Program of Modernization of the Logistical Capacity of Higher Education Institutions and Radical Improvement of Quality of Specialist Training for 2011-2016 is a guide to action.
The proportion of students who major in Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction Industries has increased. In 2010/2011 academic year, they accounted for 23% of the total admission quota, and today it makes up 36%. This was achieved by the conversion of the Andijan and Namangan Engineering and Economy Institutes into the Andijan Machine Building Institute and the Namangan Engineering and Technology Institute, respectively. The admission quota to the Jizzakh Polytechnic University and other technical universities has doubled.
At the same time, the enrollment ratio in Education has fallen from 31.1% to 24.6%. The Tashkent Regional Pedagogical Institute was closed in Angren. The second wave of reduction of economist training has fallen on the same period. The quota of students in Economy and Business has decreased from 8.7% to 5.7%. The education of specialists in ‘Law’ has fallen from 1.3% to 0.9% due to the concentration of study at the Tashkent State Law University and the Karakalpak State University. The admission quotas were reduced for other areas from 35.5% to 32.7% in favor of technical specialties.
Quotas are not the only tool for the government to orient young people in the right direction. Approved in 2011, the higher education area and specialty classifier reduced their number from 228 to 165, and undergraduate specialties – from 1,200 to 500 due to the unification of related specialties and liquidation of unpopular areas in economy and social sectors. Meanwhile, universities annually revise the areas of staff training, with an eye to the needs of the economy. For example, 18 new subject specialties were introduced in various universities this academic year, the bulk of them – in Tashkent State Technical University.
The share of grant places in all areas of education has been optimized with the same overall admission quota. They have been increased in ‘Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction Industries’, as well as in academic and natural sciences, from 35% in 2010/2011 to 40-45% in 2015/2016 academic years through the reduction of seats in ‘Economics and Business’ and ‘Law’ areas, which has proved an effective tool to draw attention of applicants to technical subjects.
All that is actually a call for the youth and an attempt to orient them to the priority directions of the state development. In the near future, close attention will be paid to the country’s industrial development. The results of this policy are obvious today. Large industrial giants, including Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex, have been commissioned. It is decided to create new free economic zones in Khazarasp, Gijduvan, Kokand and Urgut. They will need young engineers.
The priority of information technologies is also clear. Today, the republic pursues the policy of creation of advanced industries based on digital technologies, which optimally simplify human labor. Today, ICT has been actively introduced in all areas of life. They make our life more interesting and comfortable. The country is shifting to digital television, broadband Internet access, which significantly expand the opportunities for getting information, and accelerate its exchange.
Significant changes have taken place in staff training in regional universities. The educational process in proximity to employers creates favorable conditions for quality and target-oriented education, as teachers and students have the maximally convenient contacts with the employer.
(As part of the social order of the Oliy Majlis Public Fund for the Support of NGOs and Other Civil Society Institutions).
With Care to Each Child
Sabohat Mirjalilova,
Chief of Preschool Education Institutions Department, Ministry of Public Education:
Care of each child is one of the most important moments of the ongoing complex of measures on the development of preschool education. We will catalyze the work with the parents, including those whose children do not attend nursery schools. Within the framework of the national program on ‘Improvement of the Preschool Education System for 2017-2020’, the Ministry of Public Education, it is envisaged to provide families with children of pre-school age with sets of seven books in Uzbek, Karakalpak, and Russian languages to stimulate early reading, in accordance with the lists submitted by local communities and public education institutions. The first stage of distribution of these books is scheduled for March-April 2017, the second – for late 2017 and early 2018.
Purposeful Training
Sadriddin Turabjanov, Rector of Tashkent Institute of Chemical Engineering:
Our institute is known for prompt response to changes in demand for specialists. In view of the launch of the Dehkonobod Potash Fertilizer Plant, we organized training of specialists for this enterprise in the Kashkadarya region, and then a specialized part time department in Kungrad to provide it with specislists. Today, it provides specialists not only for the plant, but also for the new Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex. The first graduation of specialists – 83 boys and girls – took place in 2015/2016 academic year. No one left unemployed. The Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex recruited all graduates who studied by state grants, and the rest students were employed by the enterprises that paid their contracts.
Last year, we embarked on targeted staff training for the Rubber Plant, which is currently being revived in Angren. Students study in Tashkent, on the basis of the parent university. There are currently 20 students in the department.
Regarding the upcoming enrollment – there are no prospects so far. We are focused on improving the quality of training of currently studying professionals. We have six months before the launch of the selection committee; so much can change over this time. We do our best to respond quickly to changes in the labor market.
Equal Opportunities
Sharif Ergashev,
Director of the Republican Center for Vocational Orientation, Psychological and Pedagogical Diagnostics of Students:
Under the old system, almost 300,000 graduates of secondary schools remained without professional education, and only 10% of graduates of the eleventh grade entered universities. Several years have passed since Uzbekistan switched to a twelve-year compulsory education by the scheme – nine grades of school plus three years of study at an academic lyceum or a vocational college.
Today, all students have equal opportunities in getting a profession. Moreover, all those who plan to get higher education and initially prepare for entering a university, are provided with special opportunity to attend academic lyceums. At the same time, the state cares of employment of every graduate of a vocational college and university, creating all necessary conditions for them, and supporting them through local administrations.
Comprehensive Approach
Ganisher Rahimov,
Rector of the Uzbek State World Languages University:
The Government is taking unprecedented steps to comprehensively improve the quality of education. Let’s ask ourselves: what specialists are needed today for the country? First of all, they are multilingual specialists. Now let’s turn to the realities. Since 2012, the system of language learning has undergone drastic changes. Language learning begins with the first grade, the provision of textbooks and multimedia aids has improved significantly, and the system of advanced training of foreign language teachers has been raised to a drastically new level. There is favorable environment language learning. Libraries are being supplied with literature in foreign languages, and software for their learning.
More Practice
Hilola Tursunova,
Teacher of school №169, Yashnabad district of the capital:
Today, school education is guided by new approaches to education. It is mainly distinguished by active application of the methodologies that allow students developing skills of practical application of the theory they have learned. These are communication skills if we talk about language learning or, application of mathematical knowledge if it comes to math. Our previous education was more academic, with bigger focus on comprehension of theory. However, life has shown that practive requires more attention. At the present stage, the quality of education is in many ways assessed not by what the graduate knows, but by how quickly and competently he solves practical problems.
