Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today, in the building of the Ministry of Preschool Education, a meeting was held between the Minister of Preschool Education Agrippina Shin with the interim head of the UNESCO Office in Uzbekistan, Mr. Alexandros Makarigakis.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of preparation for this forum. The foreign side also said that a UNESCO working mission will be sent to Tashkent in December this year to organize the event.

During the meeting, the Uzbek side noted that, in full compliance with SDG 4 (Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030), education and upbringing of preschool children are priorities for our state. There were also noted positive results in terms of providing conditions for young children to quality preschool education.

The coverage of preschool education in the country increased from 27% in 2017 to 64% by 2021, reaching 1.8 million children today. In order to create equal opportunities, since 2019, Uzbekistan has introduced a system of compulsory preschool training for children aged 6 years. Today, 77% of children aged 6-7 years are covered by the preschool education system, and by 2025 100% of children will be covered by the one-year compulsory education system.