Mirziyoyev: Quality Education is the Key to a Strong Economy and the Country’s Future

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a video conference meeting dedicated to the implementation of reforms in the education sector and future priorities.

“The development of the economy, the future of our country and our children depends entirely on education and teachers. From the very first day of our work, I have been saying: education, education, education, teacher, teacher, teacher,” the head of state emphasized.

It was noted that significant conditions have been created to ensure decent work for educators, including the construction and equipping of kindergartens and schools, the involvement of foreign specialists, the introduction of modern textbooks and educational programs, and that these efforts will continue.

“Yet every khokim of districts and regions, as well as heads of kindergartens, schools, colleges, and universities, must clearly realize one truth:

For people to live well, our economy must be strong! For this, we need new goods, new services, new technologies! The only way to achieve this is through a quality education system. There is no other path!

Understanding this truth and working tirelessly every day, any leader will undoubtedly achieve changes and results in their district, kindergarten, school, college, or university,” the President stressed.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of preparing qualified personnel in line with incoming investments and newly established enterprises.

Over the past period, more than ten additional salary allowances have been introduced for teachers.

“Take note: today, over 60,000 teachers who have worked on self-improvement earn salaries of 10–12 million soums. When has this ever happened before?” the President remarked.

As of this month, the salaries of school principals, kindergarten directors, and their deputies exceed 10 million soums. Out of 1,500 schools that have transitioned to the new evaluation system, 300 have shown positive results, and as a reward, the entire staff is receiving a bonus of up to 40 percent.

“My words that one day teachers’ salaries would reach one thousand dollars have become a reality in just three years,” said the head of state.

Since the beginning of this year, Uzbek schoolchildren have won 195 medals in international science Olympiads. Ten billion soums have been allocated for student awards and 3.5 billion soums for their mentors.

In more than one thousand schools with foreign language specialists, the number of students obtaining language certificates has grown 2.5 times in a single year.

“Yes, changes are taking place in preschool and school education, the programs are working, there are results. But those responsible for vocational and higher education still do not fully grasp the essence of educational reforms,” the President noted.

As a result, it was announced that all deputy ministers of higher education, science and innovation were dismissed, including First Deputy Minister Shokhrukh Daliyev and deputies Otabek Makhkamov and Sarvarhon Buzrukhonov.

In addition, Adham Khudaykulov, Director of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education under the Presidential Administration, and Sharof Rajabbayev, Director of the Agency for Innovative Development under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, were also relieved of their posts due to job transfers.

The President underlined that from now on, ministers of preschool, school and higher education, science and innovation, their deputies, and khokims must act proactively, achieving substantial changes across all areas of education.

This year, it is planned to create an additional 182,000 kindergarten places, 82,000 of which will come from newly built facilities.

It was criticized that district khokims are not considering how the remaining places will be provided. For example, in 118 kindergartens, 255 classrooms remain idle and require renovation. Construction and renovation of eight kindergartens in certain districts have been delayed for two to three years. In Chimboy, Gallaorol, Qiziriq, and Boysun, one kindergarten in each district remains unrenovated. In Dekhanabad, Sariosiyo, Bustonliq, and Nurafshon, construction of a new kindergarten has not yet been completed.

Regional and district khokims were instructed to repair and equip facilities in 118 kindergartens and fully commission the eight kindergartens by November 1, otherwise facing appropriate measures.

During an open dialogue with entrepreneurs in 80 districts, incentives were announced for opening kindergartens. Officials were urged to make effective use of this mechanism to expand preschool places.

In Kashkadarya, the number of kindergarten and school places provided by the private sector and foreign partners has tripled over the past two years. Regional khokims were tasked with studying this experience.

A general requirement was set that preschool coverage in every district must be at least 80 percent. To achieve this, khokims must identify available land plots, put them up for auction, and plan kindergarten construction jointly with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

Officials were tasked with adopting a three-year program for kindergarten construction on available plots through private partnerships or investment, offering subsidies for new private kindergartens, and introducing partial salary co-financing for educators.

Each year, 2,000 apartment buildings are constructed, a quarter of them located in New Uzbekistan neighborhoods. In such neighborhoods, there is already experience in opening a private kindergarten for 100 children on the ground floor of apartment blocks in Bektemir and Yangihayot districts.

The President emphasized that all district and city khokims should replicate this model in their territories.

Now the benefits announced for 80 districts during the open dialogue will be provided to entrepreneurs who open kindergartens on the ground floors of new apartment buildings.

Officials have been instructed to develop regulations for organizing kindergartens in residential complexes under construction.

“To expand coverage, we are creating all the necessary conditions, but kindergartens must also embrace a new spirit, new methodologies, and the potential of teachers must align with these changes,” the President noted.

During the summer period, the qualifications of 118,000 preschool teachers were upgraded, but this was deemed insufficient.

For this reason, starting from the new academic year, pedagogical universities will introduce a “1+5” training format (one day of study, five days of work) at the bachelor’s level for teachers with specialized secondary education. This will make it possible to supply kindergartens with about 10,000 university-educated specialists each year.

It was emphasized that there is still no unified approach to the quality of teaching and upbringing between private and public kindergartens.

To address this, next year each region will establish “Next Generation” model kindergartens, designed to provide methodological support and improve teachers’ professional skills. Officials were instructed to develop a modern kindergarten concept under this initiative, moving away from outdated, uniform approaches and adopting new methods.

The next agenda item concerned school education.

It was reported that 74,000 students from remote areas still have to walk 5–7 kilometers to school. The khokims of Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions took a detailed approach to resolving this issue, allocating funds and organizing free bus services for 100 schools. The khokims of Samarkand and Jizzakh regions also initiated measures to provide school bus service for 100 schools within a month. This was highlighted as an example for other districts.

Over the past three years, 201 specialized schools for gifted students have been established. However, construction and renovation remain incomplete in 12 of them. Regional governors were instructed to complete the work by the end of the year.

Since last year, IT classes have been introduced in the first grades. Beginning with the next academic year, senior students will start studying artificial intelligence. To implement this, 2,000 classrooms must be equipped with computers and 6,300 with interactive boards. Officials were tasked with allocating the necessary funds in the state budget for the coming year.

To create additional opportunities for gifted students, branches of specialized schools will be opened in the regions: the Al-Khwarizmi School for IT, the Ulugbek School for Engineering, and the Ibn Sina School for Natural Sciences. These schools will now be directly affiliated with regional technical universities. Graduates who demonstrate high results will be admitted directly to the second year of these universities.

In 2026, Uzbekistan will host, for the first time in Central Asia, two of the most prestigious international Olympiads — in chemistry and in informatics. The Prime Minister has been instructed to personally oversee all organizational matters to ensure the events are held at the highest level in the capital.

The digitalization of more than ten services in kindergartens and schools is expected to sharply reduce corruption in this sector.

At the same time, school admissions and kindergarten attendance are still not fully digitized. For example, due to the lack of precise district zoning, 8,000 schools in 144 districts continue to enroll students using outdated methods, while attendance records in kindergartens are still kept on paper.

Officials were instructed to finalize school district boundaries in all 144 districts by the end of the year. It was stressed that by the next academic year, all services in schools and kindergartens must be fully digitized.

Recently, the President reviewed a unified concept for educating the younger generation.

A national upbringing model will now be developed by age groups, ensuring that children acquire modern skills while being raised in the spirit of national values.

The first step in this direction is the introduction of the “Hour of the Future” lesson, which, beginning this academic year, is conducted every Monday in all kindergartens, schools, and universities.

These classes use modern methods to instill universal and national values, patriotism, and the spirit of reform in New Uzbekistan, adapted to the realities of the technological era.

To support this, the Center for the Development of Children’s Content, together with scholars from the Kori Niyoziy National Institute of Pedagogy, will produce engaging video materials.

The content created will be regularly published on the “National Upbringing” platform and broadcast on television channels.

Recently, the President signed a resolution aimed at elevating extracurricular education to a new level and organizing meaningful leisure activities for students.

On the basis of 219 local “Schools of the Harmonious Generation,” the “Yoshlik” sports society, the Youth Center, and the Organization of Children of Uzbekistan, new “Future” centers will be established at the republican, regional, and district levels.

These centers will work closely with schools, organize targeted events, and involve students in clubs dedicated to engineering, science, culture, art, reading, sports, and environmental activities.

It was emphasized that all schools will be covered by this system. Every secondary school will have a mentor who will create clubs in languages, professions, engineering, creativity, art, and sports, taking into account students’ abilities and interests.

Deputy principals for educational and upbringing work, together with homeroom teachers and school psychologists, will monitor students showing negative behavioral changes and help them overcome challenges at school and at home.

Local youth leaders will be responsible for organizing meaningful extracurricular activities for students.

A key innovation is the introduction of a “digital portfolio” for each student, reflecting achievements in clubs, sports, volunteer work, and olympiads, which will be displayed in electronic certificates.

“I am concerned with creating conditions for our young people to acquire professions and secure stable incomes. If we organize this process properly, there will be no poverty or unemployment left in the districts,” the President stated.

During the President’s recent visit to China, a package of promising projects worth $35 billion was prepared with the participation of major companies in the fields of energy, geology, chemistry, transport, agriculture, and water management.

It was stressed that the successful implementation of such projects will require thousands of specialists with technical expertise and knowledge of the Chinese language. To introduce China’s experience in training, each region will establish two “Uzbekistan–China Workshops.”

More than 100 native speakers and volunteers will be invited to teach Chinese at universities, technical colleges, and schools.

“We have 598 technical colleges that can accommodate 450,000 students. This is a vast resource, with opportunities and conditions for young people.

However, this year 608,000 students graduated from the 9th grade, and only 182,000 are entering technical colleges.

From this point forward, the year will be dedicated to vocational training for youth,” the President said.

Officials, together with regional and district governors, were tasked with creating a modern professional environment in 598 technical colleges this year, based on the President’s initiative and the experience of specialized schools, and in line with international standards.

Overall, governors of regions and districts have been instructed to ensure that at least 50 percent of 9th-grade graduates enroll in technical colleges next academic year, along with an additional 200,000 students.

To coordinate this work on a unified policy basis, the Agency for Vocational Education is being established.

From this year onward, the quota system for admission to universities will be linked to the labor needs of investment projects.

Now, technical colleges will train specialists directly at the request of investors. Up to 30 percent of technical college curricula may be modified to meet investor demands.

Enterprises that implement dual training programs in cooperation with technical colleges will be eligible for preferential loans.

At the same time, industry associations reported a problem: they are unable to prepare specialists to meet the requirements of their member companies. As a result, enterprises suffer, and technical colleges lack clear guidance on what to teach.

The responsible officials were instructed, together with the newly established agency, to develop standards and requirements for the professions needed in the industry’s enterprises by the end of the year.

During the meeting, reports from those in charge of the sector and the regions were heard, followed by a dialogue with the heads of educational institutions.