Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 19-24 January 2020, a delegation of Uzbekistan headed by the director of the State Unitary Enterprise Center for Innovation, Technology and Strategy under the Ministry of Public Education, Rustam Karimjonov, visited the UK.

During the visit, representatives of Uzbekistan held a series of negotiations and meetings, and also took part in the Education World Forum in London.

The delegation of Uzbekistan participated in the annual international forum on education. The forum was attended by education ministers from about 100 countries.

For the first time in the history of the forum, Uzbekistan was presented as a speaker at a panel session on the theme “Building a society to support sustainable development and educate the future generation”.

During the session, Rustam Karimjonov presented the participants with information on reforms carried out in the field of public education.

In particular, during the presentation by the participants and organizers of the forum, special attention was paid to the role and influence of the scientific works of our great ancestors in the formation of the foundations of many sciences and world civilization in the 9th-11th centuries.

During the panel discussion, great interest was shown in ongoing reforms of the education system of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with particular interest in the creation of Presidential and specialized schools.

The delegation of Uzbekistan also held talks with the leadership of De Monfort University. The parties discussed the possibility of creating a branch of the university within the framework of the international pedagogical university in Tashkent.

Following the meeting, a memorandum of understanding was signed on the establishment of the De Monfort branch at the International University in Tashkent.

Meetings were also held with representatives of the University of Manchester and Coventry University. During the meetings, issues of establishing cooperation in the framework of the creation of the International Pedagogical University were discussed.

The delegation of Uzbekistan held a meeting with the heads of Cambridge divisions to discuss the issue of expanding cooperation.

The parties agreed to exchange experience and hold consultations for the creation of an international university in Tashkent, with further plans for the formation of a national curriculum that meets international standards, and the development of the English language.

Also discussed was the question of adapting textbooks and the subject program "Information Technologies" for grades 5-11.

The delegation of Uzbekistan, in the framework of studying best practices in the development of requirements and assessment methods for Modern Schools, met with representatives of Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Services and Skills for Children), led by Her Majesty's Inspector General Amanda Spilman.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed on an exchange of experience to develop criteria and methods for assessing Modern Schools, to assist in the development of an electronic rating platform, and also on the possibility of attracting international experts to develop a methodology for assessing and certifying modern schools.

Representatives of Uzbekistan visited the exhibition on advanced educational technologies BETT and established contacts with such world-famous companies as LEGO, Google for Education, PASCO scientific, Coursera and others for further cooperation and joint implementation of innovative IT projects in the field of science and education.

A meeting was held with the head of the Department of Education at Oxford University, Maia Chankseliani. The parties agreed to cooperate in the development of scientific and academic areas, vocational education and the establishment of STEAM academies in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Ms. Maia Chankseliani emphasized the importance of creating and developing a separate scientific and academic area for reforming the public education system.

The delegation of Uzbekistan held talks with the head of Education First, Mr. Karl-Johan Westring, on the implementation of the English Speaking Nation (ESN) project.

The ESN project provides for the assessment and development of skills of 33 thousand teachers of English in Uzbekistan.

Issues of cooperation in the framework of the ESN project were discussed with representatives of the Department for International Trade of Great Britain. During the negotiations, the sides discussed issues of potential support of DIT in attracting investments for the implementation of the ESN project, opening an international pedagogical university in Uzbekistan by providing technical expertise and mobilizing internal relations.

The issues of organizing online training for civil servants in order to develop the skills of the future were discussed with a senior adviser on global partnerships with Coursera CEO, Chad Pasha.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached to establish cooperation by launching pilot projects in the field of developing training programs for building future skills and their implementation.

The delegation of Uzbekistan also negotiated with Sam Friedman, Executive Director of Ark’s Education Partnerships Group.

Ark’s Education Partnerships Group is an international educational charity that provides technical and expert support to public and private educational institutions in implementing innovative approaches and reforming the education system.

During the negotiations, the possibilities of cooperation within the framework of the project on modern schools were examined by attracting grant funds from the Department for International Development of Great Britain and the UBS Optimus Foundation.