Uzbekistan Showcases Preschool Education Success at UNESCO

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — At UNESCO headquarters, within the framework of the “Global Education Monitoring 2026 (GEM)” events, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Preschool and School Education, E’zoza Karimova, participated in two high-level sessions.

The sessions brought together more than 30 education ministers and deputy ministers from around the world.

First, Minister Karimova spoke at a session focused on opportunities in education and ensuring equitable access. UNESCO recognized Uzbekistan’s experience as one of the most dynamically developing in the world in early childhood education.

In her speech, the minister highlighted that, thanks to the political will of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and reforms implemented since 2017, preschool enrollment in the country has risen from 28% to 78%. She noted that the introduction of public-private partnership mechanisms, the development of family-based kindergartens, and mobile groups significantly expanded access to preschool education.

Later the same day, Karimova spoke at a panel discussion on translating commitments into tangible outcomes. She shared key lessons from Uzbekistan’s experience, emphasizing the importance of transforming political will into systemic reforms, the need for diverse models to scale solutions, and the significance of targeted policies to ensure equitable access to education.

According to the GEM 2026 report presented by UNESCO, Uzbekistan is the only country in the world to have tripled preschool enrollment within seven years, a milestone recognized as a major international achievement.