Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his address to the parliament proposed to declare the next year the Year of Supporting Youth and Protecting Public Health. Those present supported the proposal of the head of state with thunderous applause.

“We need to carry out large-scale work on radical reform and further development of the directions identified in the title of 2021,” the President noted.

First, the most important period in a child’s life is the preschool age, when mental activity develops, moral and aesthetic ideas and physical qualities are formed.

In this regard, our strategic goal in the development of preschool education for the coming years is to create the necessary conditions for full coverage of all children.

Next year, we have to increase the coverage of preschool education to 65 percent, and by the end of 2023 - to 75 percent. Also, due to the allocation of 600 billion soums of subsidies from the budget, 2,000 non-state kindergartens will be created, the share of the private sector in this area will increase to 25 percent.

Along with this, in 2021, the system of free preparation for school will cover 560 thousand, or 82 percent, of children aged six years. In remote villages, the use of alternative forms of preschool education will expand. In cooperation with UNICEF and the World Bank, a model of early childhood education at home for children with disabilities will be launched.

Secondly, reforms will be accelerated to radically improve and improve the quality of school education with the creation of decent conditions for teachers.

In the new year, 2 trillion soums will be allocated from the budget for the construction of 30 new schools, repair and improvement of the material and technical base of 320 schools. In the next two years, we will allocate 250 billion soums for the introduction of a unified system of "electronic education".

In order to radically improve the quality of education, first of all, it is necessary to bring curricula, teaching aids for teachers in line with advanced international standards. To develop children’s analytical and creative thinking skills, you need to create meaningful and understandable textbooks for them. In this regard, in the next academic year, in the elementary grades, on the basis of the best foreign experience, a “National Curriculum” will be introduced, which will not overload the child.

The quality of school education should be equally high both in the capital and in remote villages. To this end, it is necessary to implement a special program to provide schools in remote areas with qualified personnel and improve the quality of education. Specifically, teachers who teach in a remote school in another area will receive a 50 percent salary increase, and those teaching in another area will receive a 100 percent salary increase. Also, subsidies will be allocated from the budget to stimulate the activities of private schools in the regions.

A continuous system for the development of the abilities and potential of young people will be created.

Next year, 10 Presidential schools, 197 specialized schools in chemistry, biology, mathematics and information technology will start operating in the country.

In order to create conditions for the deep development of high technologies and knowledge by our young men and women, training of national personnel of a new formation, we will open a new modern university in the city of Tashkent. We will invite leading foreign scientists and teachers to train young people here according to the most advanced educational programs.

For the formation of work skills in children from school age, we will introduce a vocational training system.

Another issue that will be in the center of our attention is improving the qualifications of teachers, stimulating their hard work.

As you know, until now, teachers have undergone advanced training every 5 years. And now they will need to continually improve it on a lifelong learning basis. The criteria for assigning categories to them based on knowledge of their subject, pedagogical skills and psychological preparation will also be revised.

I want to stress once again: the teaching profession should become the most authoritative and respected in society. And the task of the state is to create all the conditions for teachers to first of all take care of providing children with quality education, as well as self-improvement.

Next year, work will continue to ensure decent wages for teachers, mentors and methodologists. For these purposes, 330 billion soums will be allocated to regional funds for stimulating public education workers. The amount of additional payment for classroom guidance to more than 240 thousand school teachers will be increased 1.5 times, 400 billion soums will be allocated from the budget for this.

Third, special attention will be paid to enhancing the coverage and quality of higher education. Starting next year, the number of state grants for higher education will be increased by at least 25 percent.

We will double the quota of scholarships for girls from low-income families and bring it to 2 thousand. Special scholarships will be introduced for girls in need of social support who study excellently.

At present, young people strive to enter the most prestigious universities, but there is no competition among universities to attract educated and talented youth. In this regard, a system will be introduced to provide private universities with a state order for training specialists in demand.

In order to strengthen the continuity between universities and the lower levels of the education system, 65 academic lyceums will be transferred to the jurisdiction of higher educational institutions, and 187 technical schools will be assigned to specialized universities and industry enterprises.

It is necessary to strengthen ties with leading foreign universities, research and innovation centers, expand cooperation with them in the field of personnel training.

In this regard, the number of young people sent to study for magistracy and doctoral studies in foreign universities through the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation will increase fivefold next year. Through the fund, we will send 100 of our boys and girls to study at a bachelor’s degree in other countries for the first time. In subsequent years, their number will increase by 2-3 times.

In the new year, 30 leading universities in the country will have the right to independently develop curricula, determine admission quotas and solve financial issues.

Fourth, science and innovation create the foundation for the country’s development.

Next year, the number of doctoral students in universities and research organizations will reach 4.5 thousand, which is 3 times more than in 2017. An additional 240 billion soums will be allocated from the budget for these purposes.

Based on the best international experience, the scientific councils of the leading universities of the republic will be delegated the authority to confer the scientific titles of associate professor and professor, the scientific degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science.

This year, for the first time, measures were taken to comprehensively develop mathematics, chemistry, biology and geology as priority areas of education and science. In particular, 98 specialized schools and the University of Geological Sciences have been created. The curricula have been radically revised, the salaries of teachers have been increased.

Now we need to prioritize this area for the next year.

As history shows, physics has served as the fundamental basis for almost all discoveries and technologies in the world.

Indeed, without a deep understanding of the laws of physics, it is impossible to achieve results in such relevant areas and industries as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, IT, water and energy saving technologies.

I think in this context it would be appropriate to quote the words of the great Alisher Navoi, who wrote:

“Leaving in search of knowledge, I am hundredfold sure that

That I will be able to find them not by luck, but by work. "

Indeed, a person who seeks to acquire knowledge and master new professions must work hard, work on himself, including learning foreign languages, without which it is impossible to reach high levels in the modern world.

Following these requirements, I propose to define the study of physics and foreign languages as a priority for the next year. Relevant systematic work is already underway at all levels of education, including to improve the quality of teaching these subjects, create specialized schools, and attract qualified teachers. The International Scientific Olympiad in Physics named after Ahmad Fergani will be organized. Additional measures will also be taken to expand the scale and improve the quality of scientific research in the field of physics, and create the necessary conditions for young scientists.

Fifth, we will focus our attention on youth employment and entrepreneurship support. To this end, next year the vocational education system will be reformed based on new approaches in accordance with the requirements of the labor market and international standards.

From now on, the availability of qualifications will become a key requirement for blue-collar jobs. In this regard, the Government is instructed to introduce a system for assessing the professional qualifications of citizens in demanded professions from 1 January 2021.

As you know, at the recent Youth Forum, we decided to allocate US$100 million for youth entrepreneurship and employment.

In addition, 1 trillion soums and 50 million dollars will be allocated to finance business projects of youth and train their professions.

Sixth, a new system of special support for children from low-income families, full orphans, children with disabilities and those in need of treatment will be introduced.

Currently, there are 150 thousand children under 18 in the country who need special care. Assisting them in getting an education, acquiring a certain profession, providing treatment to those who are seriously ill, helping orphans find their place in life and providing them with housing is not only our task, but also a human duty.

In 2021, for the first time, 50 billion soums will be allocated from the budget to provide housing for 900 orphans.

In general, it is necessary to establish systematic work in this area and, I think you will approve of this initiative, to create a Public Fund for the Support of Children, allocating 100 billion soums to it from the budget. During the year, the allocation to the fund will increase.

I am sure that this initiative will become a national movement, and our compatriots will make a worthy contribution to such a noble cause.

I consider it appropriate for the chambers of the Oliy Majlis to consolidate the activities of the Public Fund for the Support of Children at the legislative level, also providing for the stimulation of our most active compatriots, benefactors.

However, the time has come to pass the Children’s Ombudsman Law.

At the Youth Forum of Uzbekistan, we agreed to resolve many issues related to comprehensive support for the country’s young generation. I think there is no need to dwell on them again today. An urgent task for all of us is to implement these initiatives in full.