Uzbek President holds meeting to discuss development of pre-school education

Shavkat Mirziyoyev underlined that number of state pre-school educational institutions decreased by 45% in last 20 years, while children kindergartens covered 818,000 children from 2.45 million, the press service of the President of Uzbekistan said.

Educational programs on social, personal, emotional, speech, mathematical, physical and psychological, physical and creative development of children were not implemented in kindergartens. In short, a kindergarten has become an institution, which only cares for a child when his parents are at work, rather than acting as an educational institution.

The meeting criticized some officials, who fail timely implement measures to develop the sector. The plan for opening one non-state kindergarten in each city and district is not implemented in timely manner. Construction of kindergartens in places were not completed.

The meeting addressed the issues of fencing the territory of kindergartens, organization of qualified medical assistance to ensure the safety of children. Taking into account such shortcomings, the head of our state put forward a number of proposals.

In particular, in accordance with the Program for 2017-2021, work will continue on construction and reconstruction of kindergartens. In 2018, 771 billion soums will be allocated from the state budget for construction and repair work in 427 kindergartens.

Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev said new types of kindergartens will be created actively based on public-private partnership.

It was stated the funds will be allocated to organizing quality nutrition of children. Farmers and business entities will be responsible to all kindergartens.

In 2018, based on the experience of South Korea, it is planned to provide preschool educational institutions with methodical and didactic games, toys, furniture, equipment and other technical means.

State requirements to the system of preschool education and educational programs will be improved on the basis of the best international experience. These programs will help children learn to read and write through different games, do not get bored and upset, and gladly go to the kindergarten.

Particular attention will also be paid to training and retraining of highly qualified educators. Acceptance quotas for institutions of preschool education will be determined based on real needs.

The meeting stressed that foreign investment will be widely used to improve the system of preschool education, and the regulatory framework of the sphere will be radically improved.