Uzbekistan school textbooks to switch to new alphabet by 2031

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — All school textbooks in Uzbekistan are planned to be switched to the updated Uzbek alphabet between 2027 and 2031, Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Azizbek Turdiyev said at a Senate meeting on 19 September.

Responding to questions from senators, he noted that the Cabinet of Ministers is expected to approve an action program for implementing the law on changes to the alphabet. Executive authorities and the Academy of Sciences have already submitted their proposals. The Ministry of Preschool and School Education, in particular, has prepared proposals for updating textbooks and preparing teachers and students for the transition.

According to Turdiyev, school textbooks are already being reissued according to an established cycle. Textbooks for first grade are updated annually, those for grades 2-4 once every three years, and those for grades 5-11 once every five years.

“Starting from 2027, after the law enters into force, we will in any case print first-grade textbooks using the new alphabet,” the deputy minister said.

He explained that between 2027 and 2031, the remaining textbooks will also be switched to the new alphabet as part of their regular reissue cycle. Therefore, he said, no additional budget funds will be required to update the textbooks.

“From 2027 to 2031, all our textbooks will be fully updated. […] From this perspective, no additional funds will be required,” the ministry representative said.

At the same time, the ministry is developing measures to help teachers and students adapt. Before the start of the new academic year, training seminars are planned to be held across the preschool and school education system from 24 to 28 August.

“Teachers and students will be informed about these changes and will be able to adapt to them,” Turdiyev said.

The meeting also addressed the language in which examinations will be conducted after the amendments enter into force. The deputy minister said that examinations will be conducted using the alphabet established by the new law.

“After the law enters into force, examinations will be conducted in the alphabet established by the law. There will be no questions in this regard. We are ready for this,” he said.

According to Turdiyev, the transition in primary schools will begin with new textbooks, while educational materials for upper grades will be updated gradually.

Earlier, the Senate approved changes to the Uzbek Latin-based alphabet. Under the new version, the alphabet will contain 28 letters and one apostrophe instead of the current 26 letters and three letter combinations.

Under the updated version, the combinations Sh, Ch, Oʻ and Gʻ are proposed to be replaced with the symbols Ş, Ç, Ö and Ğ. The Ng letter combination will be excluded from the alphabet as a separate unit.