At President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's meeting with teachers and mentors, important initiatives were put forward aimed at developing the education system, strengthening teachers' professional capacity, guiding young people toward a profession from school age, and taking the quality of vocational education to a new level.

Stressing that developing education is the most important link in building New Uzbekistan, the head of state noted that over the past ten years, kindergartens with 1.8 million places and schools with 1.5 million places have been built, and more than 10,000 kindergartens and schools have been modernized.

At the same time, it was emphasized that alongside the conditions being created in education, its content is also of decisive importance. Special attention was paid to the need for quality textbooks and strong, qualified teachers for the development of every child.

In today's conditions of rapidly developing artificial intelligence and digital technologies, new professions are emerging, and the skills required for existing professions are changing as well. For this reason, ensuring that school graduates enter adult life with a foreign language and a specific profession was set as an important task.

It was noted that, in order to prepare young people for a profession from school age and ensure continuity between education stages, a dedicated commission will be formed and new solutions will be developed within three months. It was determined that school heads will be given the necessary authority, and appropriate conditions will be created for entrepreneurs willing to cooperate in this process.

The meeting also gave special attention to improving the teacher professional development system. The requirement for teachers to travel to the capital or a regional center for mandatory one-month courses will now be abolished and replaced with professional development vouchers.

Depending on their results in the teacher category assessment, teachers will be able to study for between 18 and 72 hours and independently choose where to take courses and training. It was noted that this approach will help align the professional development system more closely with teachers' practical needs.

The work being done to develop vocational education was also discussed. Over the past two years, international programs from Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and China have been introduced in 104 technical colleges. Through cooperation established with 25,000 enterprises, more than 100,000 young people have gained the opportunity to earn income while studying.

Beginning this year, young people learning a profession through dual education receive a stipend of up to 1.3 million soums. In addition, 220,000 students who completed 9th grade this year were enrolled in technical colleges.

Going forward, the phased introduction of international programs in all technical colleges is planned. From next year, masters holding an international professional certificate will receive a 50% bonus, and the costs of obtaining a certificate will be fully reimbursed. Every year, internships will be organized for 500 technical college masters in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Türkiye, and China.

The meeting also gave special attention to the role of professional skills competitions in unlocking young people's potential. In the first-ever "Builders of New Uzbekistan" professional competition, 170,000 students took part. Rewards of up to 40 million soums were given to 120 masters who trained the winners.

The President set the task of holding this competition annually and preparing the most deserving students and masters for the world skills championship to be held in Tokyo in 2028. From now on, a master who trains the winner of a regional or international professional competition will receive a reward of 100 million soums, and a mentor who trains the winner of a prestigious world-level competition will receive 200 million soums.

A number of opportunities are also being established to expand the private sector's participation in vocational education. Entrepreneurs who establish private technical colleges will be granted tax incentives and discounts on land prices. From the next academic year, a state grant will be allocated for 50% of the students at private technical colleges training personnel for key sectors such as industry, services, and infrastructure. 75% of the costs of bringing in international programs and franchises will be reimbursed, and the import of training laboratories and equipment will be exempt from customs duties.

These tasks serve to strengthen the link between education and the labor market, expand opportunities for young people to acquire modern professions and skills, and improve the quality of vocational education.

Within the system of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, work will also continue consistently to improve the quality of vocational training, strengthen teachers' capacity, refine curricula based on modern and international standards, and prepare talented young people for prestigious professional competitions.