Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 28 August, a video conference was held under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on preparation for the academic year in educational institutions.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has swept the whole world, poses new challenges and requirements for education. In our country, since 16 March, after the detection of the first case of coronavirus infection, the traditional educational process in schools has been temporarily suspended. Students were transferred to distance learning from home.

As the new school year approaches, all parents are asking themselves: when and how will the educational process be resumed in schools? Considering that the number of schoolchildren in our country is more than 6 million 200 thousand, we can say that today this issue worries almost every family.

In this regard, the head of our state instructed the government to develop a comprehensive and deeply thought-out decision, having studied the opinion of the people, in consultation with parents and teachers.

For this purpose, the Ministry of Public Education conducted a survey to study in detail the opinions of parents. The survey involved 5.5 million parents, 76 percent of them supported the implementation of the educational process in the traditional way, at school. 24 percent of those who participated in the survey preferred that the training continued remotely in the form of tele-lessons.

In addition, the situation in the world was studied. Recently, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that the coronavirus pandemic could drag on for another two years. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that the consequences of the suspension of the educational process could have very grave consequences for the world community in the future. Therefore, we must all be ready to live, work and educate our children in a pandemic, the meeting emphasized.

During the dialogue with teachers, most of the teachers noted that they missed their students, were looking forward to the opening of schools and expressed their readiness to return to the traditional form of education and upbringing.

Taking into account the results of the study, it was decided to organize the educational process in schools in two ways simultaneously - in the traditional form, as the majority of parents wished, and in the distance form.

“If I was asked who the heroes of today are, I would say that these, along with medical workers, are our respected teachers,” the President said.

The head of state noted that not enough attention is paid to increasing the authority of teachers and mentors in society.

- This is not only about material incentives. We must create an atmosphere of high respect and reverence for every selfless teacher who is dedicated to the education and upbringing of youth. After all, how much effort does it take to educate one child up to grade 11?! Much depends, especially on the class teachers, we must listen to them, support them. Until there are changes in the school, there will be no changes in any area, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Instructions were given on the creation of feature-length films and TV series, television programs reflecting the selfless labor and high moral character of teachers and doctors.

At the video conference, the current measures for organizing the educational process in a pandemic were discussed.

Khokims of districts and cities, heads of sectors are instructed to fully provide schools with basic necessities in accordance with sanitary requirements. By 5 September, the local health service centers will study the state of readiness of schools in their area for the new academic year and will conduct additional training for school staff. This will be done with the aim of providing practical assistance to schools and to increase parental confidence.

The decision to resume the activity of schools will be made by local councils of people’s deputies based on the epidemiological situation in their area.

The Ministry of Public Education was instructed to start the new academic year from 14 September, taking into account the decisions of the kengashes and the proposals of the parents, as well as develop and test a scheme of actions in schools.

On the basis of this experiment, each step will be clearly defined, down to who will meet the students at school, how they will follow to the classes, and how often the premises will be ventilated. All this will help to quickly adapt and ensure the safety of children who miss school for an almost six-month break.

In these difficult times, it was more important than ever before to have constant contact between the school principal, class teacher and parents, it was noted at the meeting. It is necessary to monitor the progress of distance learning students on a daily basis.

The necessity of high-quality preparation of video lessons, involvement of state and non-state TV channels in this process, regular broadcasting of lessons on 3 TV channels was emphasized.

The Ministry for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications was instructed to ensure the proper quality of the digital TV signal and Internet speed in the field, as well as to conduct a full test of communication systems in remote areas. It was noted that a preferential tariff plan "School" for Internet access will be introduced for students.

Particular attention is paid to the issues of ensuring cleanliness and order in schools, disinfection of classrooms and open areas.

At the meeting, it was noted that employees of the internal and national guard authorities will be attached to each school, who will monitor compliance with order and quarantine requirements. At least one health worker from the local health center or health center will be assigned to monitor the health of the students on an ongoing basis.

Research shows that in young children, the disease caused by the coronavirus is mild. However, students can become carriers of the infection. There is also no denying the risk of infecting your teachers or family members with them, especially the elderly.

According to the presidential decree "On additional measures for social support of the population" from 26 August to 1 October 2020, teachers will be vaccinated against influenza free of charge. In addition, instructions were given to adequately encourage the work of teachers.

The importance of taking safety measures for school activities, as well as timely warning the school administration if a student’s family is sick with coronavirus, was emphasized.

Responsible ministries have been instructed to purchase pyrometers and dispensers for schools and deliver them to the regions. The khokims are responsible for disinfecting schools, providing them with antiseptics and medical masks.

“If each leader deeply feels his task, approaches his work with a sense of duty and responsibility, and the system will work, and the wishes of our people will be fulfilled,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

At the meeting, the ministers and khokims of the regions provided information on the discussed issues.