Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov has outlined the main areas of Uzbekistan’s education reforms and the distribution of responsibilities among the institutions being established.
According to him, the merger of the two ministries involves changing approaches to managing the education system and separating the functions of bodies responsible for organising the educational process and ensuring its quality.
The Ministry of Education and Science will oversee the activities of preschool institutions, schools, vocational education organisations and higher education institutions. Its responsibilities will include ensuring the day-to-day operation of these organisations, setting requirements for educational activities, as well as accreditation and licensing.
The National Agency for Education Quality Assurance will have a different role. It is expected to become the body responsible for developing curricula, textbooks and methodological materials, introducing them into the educational process, assessing results and improving the materials based on identified shortcomings.
The “portrait of a graduate of an Uzbek school” defined by the President of Uzbekistan will serve as a benchmark for this work.
The Presidential Administration and a special working group being established under it will also have a separate role in reforming the system. They will work on developing the structure of the new ministry, reviewing work processes and preparing proposals for their improvement, as well as defining the overall reform strategy.
Significant changes are also planned in higher education. According to Asadov, state intervention in the activities of universities should be substantially reduced and their autonomy expanded.
At the same time, more opportunities are planned for the development of the private higher education sector. The quality of educational services, the statement noted, should be determined through free competition and in line with market demand.
Overall, the reforms envisage separating the functions of managing educational institutions, ensuring education quality and developing the sector’s overall strategy.
