Respect for the teachers and opportunities for the youth – the foundation of the country’s future

In the beginning, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated all teachers who dedicated their lives to the noble task of educating and raising the youth generation, and expressed deep respect and appreciation. 

According to the decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of September 11 this year, a group of workers, which demonstrated exemplary results in the system of education and upbringing, was awarded with honorary titles, orders, and medals. The awards were also presented to entrepreneurs who built schools at their own expense, as well as to foreign partners facilitating the implementation of advanced educational practices. 

These awards were presented at a ceremony during the meeting.

“I award these titles, orders, and medals to the representatives of many spheres. But I await the day when the teachers are awarded a special feeling. May our country see more and more dedicated teachers who deserve the highest awards”, the President said.

On behalf of the award, the representatives of the sphere presented and expressed gratitude to the Head of State for the attention to education and high respect for the teachers’ work.

Further, a dialogue on the measures for the sphere’s development took place. Over 40,000 teachers and mentors nationwide participated via video connection. 

In his address, the Head of State noted that in the past eight years, the country’s economy grew twofold, and the volume of the gross domestic product will reach $130 billion by the end of the year.

On this strong economic basis, expenses on education and science increased sixfold, reaching 378 trillion UZS. The President emphasized that the improvement of education quality, enhancement of working conditions, and the well-being of teachers and mentors will remain a key priority of the reform.

Initiatives for developing all stages of the education system and further expanding opportunities for youth and teachers were determined at the meeting.

If, in 2017, over 4,000 mahallas lacked a single kindergarten, and pre-school education coverage was below 27 percent, then today the number of kindergartens has surpassed 38,000, and coverage is 78 percent. Due to the recent announcements of preferences and opportunities, no mahalla will be left out without access to pre-school education, and coverage will be at least 80 percent. 

The wages of the heads and teachers of kindergartens increased by almost twice. A system, in which part of the wages of the teachers and expenses on the child in private kindergartens will be covered by the budget, is being implemented.

From now on, the teachers of state and private kindergartens will be able to receive higher education on the job. Similar to the Presidential schools, kindergartens in the “Yangi Avlod” format will be created in each region, where teachers will study advanced pedagogical technologies. 

The longest and most decisive stage is school education. 

Over the past 34 years, the country’s population has doubled, reaching and exceeding 38 million. Now 6,5 million students are being educated in schools. In the past eight years, over 500 new schools have been built, at the expense of expanding the current ones. 1 million student places have been created. Over 200 thousand children are studying in private schools. 

To guide students toward professions or higher education based on their abilities, unified state exams will be introduced for 9th and 11th graders. This will allow approximately 400 thousand 9th-grade graduates to receive training at technical colleges. Those who continue their education at school and intend to enter higher education institutions will study selected subjects in depth.

Every year, tens of thousands of schoolchildren receive international language and subject certificates. Now, such certificates will be taken into account in the final exam.

The Head of State focused separately on issues of vocational education. 2026 has been declared the year of training young people in modern professions. 

To this end, the Agency for Vocational Education is being created. Its main task is to introduce a new educational environment and international standards in all 598 technical colleges.

During the year, 100 technical colleges will establish cooperation with educational organizations in Germany, Switzerland, China, Korea, and the UK, and implement their most advanced programs.

In addition, any applicant with professional skills will be able to take exams based on foreign qualification assessment systems at these technical colleges and obtain an international certificate.

Starting this academic year, the international BTEC program has been launched in 14 technical colleges in collaboration with the British company Pearson. It will enable young people to pursue in-demand professions in various fields, including tourism, information technology, medicine, construction, logistics, electrical engineering, energy, mechanical engineering, biotechnology, and the creative economy.

Next year, 456 major projects worth about $45 billion will be launched in the industry. Technical colleges will introduce dual training for each project along the “investor-industry-technical college” chain.

A competition will be held between enterprises and technical colleges to create joint projects for modern workshops. The winners will be provided with modern equipment and inventory for workshops and sports.

Overall, the coverage of dual training will increase fivefold. Partner enterprises will be granted preferential loans of up to 5 billion UZS, and the single social payment for students in the dual system will be halved.

Mastering new technologies and finding employment requires knowledge of foreign languages. Therefore, the number of foreign language hours in technical colleges will be increased fourfold.

In accordance with the decree of the President, the position of advisor will be introduced in schools. Starting in the 7th grade, he will select students based on their academic performance and professional interests, and guide 9th-grade graduates in enrolling in technical colleges.

In addition, this year, 200 thousand 11th-grade graduates who did not enter universities will undergo vocational training at technical colleges in short-term programs lasting 3-6 months.

“What is the goal of our new initiatives? If every child masters a profession and can earn a living, families will be prosperous, and there will be peace and harmony in the mahallas. I am confident that parents will support this”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

Measures have been identified to improve the qualifications and status of teachers and masters at technical colleges. A certification system is being introduced: technical college teachers will receive a bonus of 30 percent of their salary for a national certificate and 50 percent for an international certificate. This will benefit the 30 thousand-strong teaching staff at technical colleges. Salaries for directors and their deputies will also be increased. Technical colleges will introduce bonuses for academic degrees and scientific titles.

In recent years, higher education coverage has grown rapidly: the number of universities has increased from 77 to 202, and the total number of students has increased from 250 thousand to 1,5 million.

In the era of the “fourth industrial revolution”, demand for technological minerals is growing worldwide. It is estimated that our region accounts for 10-15 percent of the world’s reserves of tungsten, molybdenum, zinc, and titanium. To turn these vast resources into high-value-added products, science, knowledge, and innovation are needed above all else.

In this regard, instructions have been given to build a system of cooperation between science and business based on mutual benefit. An additional 100 billion UZS will be allocated to cover the costs of research and development work on inventions.

Recently, the winners of the inventors’ competition in nine categories were awarded electric cars. The runners-up will be sent on internships abroad, and third-place winners will receive cash prizes.

Similar competitions will now be held in every field of higher education, among both teachers and students.

Joint educational programs will be launched in universities with the top 500 universities in the fields of IT, artificial intelligence, agricultural technology, medicine, and green energy. It is planned to open branches of the top 100 universities.

The President also announced several initiatives to improve the social conditions of teachers and mentors.

Starting in the new year, the state will cover 25 percent of the initial mortgage payment for teachers in the highest qualification category and those with at least 15 years of experience.

In the next academic year, children of teachers who enroll in state universities will receive a 30 percent discount on tuition fees.

To promote the widespread adoption of new educational technologies, teachers will be eligible for a preferential loan of up to 10 million UZS to purchase a computer. Starting next year, the cost of public services for teachers will be halved.

As with high school teachers, a national certification system will be introduced for primary school teachers. Certificate holders will receive a 15 percent monthly bonus.

Bachelor’s degree graduates with honors who find employment in schools will automatically be assigned the II qualification category, while master’s degree graduates will be assigned the I category.

Teachers who have enrolled in universities ranked in the top 300 in the world will be provided with a preferential education loan of up to $20 thousand.

At the meeting, views were exchanged with teachers and students, heads of educational institutions, and their suggestions and opinions were heard.