Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has congratulated the people of Uzbekistan, compatriots abroad and all friends of the Uzbek language on Uzbek Language Day, observed on 21 October, outlining priorities for developing the state language in education, science, public administration and the digital sphere, according to the presidential press service.
The president described Uzbek as one of the world’s oldest and richest languages and a great legacy of the country’s ancestors. He said the idea expressed by the word “O‘z” — meaning “one’s own” or “belonging to oneself” — also applies to the language, giving it renewed strength to communicate freely with the world, acquire modern knowledge and strengthen the people’s spiritual values.
Mirziyoyev noted that Uzbekistan was working to support the Karakalpak language and other languages while creating favourable conditions for learning Uzbek. Mastery of the state language, he said, opens access to new knowledge and opportunities and strengthens people’s sense of belonging to a shared present and future. He called for a welcoming attitude towards those who have only recently begun learning Uzbek.
The president highlighted the role of translation in introducing compatriots to world literary masterpieces and presenting Uzbek-language works to other peoples. He cited the Uzbek Studies Programme at the University of Oxford as an example.
He also called for greater support for Uzbek-language teachers abroad and for researchers and students to have access to high-quality literature and educational resources.
In education, Mirziyoyev said priority should be given to students’ ability to read, understand texts, express their thoughts and write correctly. Textbook and teaching-method updates should take into account the differences between learning Uzbek as a native language and learning it as the state language.
The president urged government institutions to set an example by ensuring that laws, decisions, instructions and responses to public inquiries are written accurately, clearly and in plain language. Citizens, he said, should not face unnecessary difficulties in understanding their rights and obligations.
Among the key priorities, Mirziyoyev identified expanding access to modern scientific sources and publishing research findings in Uzbek.
Medicine, engineering, economics and other fields need reliable literature, high-quality translations and electronic resources, he said. Terminology must be accurate, clear and consistent with international scientific standards.
Mirziyoyev also stressed the importance of using Uzbek in the digital sphere. This requires collecting high-quality written texts and speech samples, developing electronic dictionaries and tools for translation and editing, and advancing technologies that convert speech into text and text into audio.
Such technologies must comply with copyright and personal data protection requirements and be accessible to people with disabilities. The president said the quality of artificial intelligence tools working with content in the state language should be measured by how specific and useful their assistance is to users.
Regarding writing and spelling, Mirziyoyev said the main criteria should be ease of reading, writing and using information.
Decisions in this area, he added, should be based on scientific research, dialogue with society and practical preparation that takes the needs of different generations into account.
The president thanked scientists, teachers, translators, writers, journalists, publishers and IT specialists working to develop the Uzbek language, as well as compatriots and foreigners who are learning it.
