Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev is holding a video conference meeting focused on the state of school education.

At the beginning of the meeting, the head of state congratulated the nation on the International Day of Families, observed on 15 May.

“The family is the foundation of society, the cradle of spirituality, and a symbol of generational continuity. Our people have long regarded the family as a sacred value and a pillar of stability.

Indeed, where mutual respect and gratitude prevail, there is harmony in the home. The more such families we have, the more peaceful and prosperous our neighborhoods will be. And where tranquility reigns in neighborhoods and towns, the country as a whole thrives.

On this occasion, I wish every family in our country peace, harmony, and well-being. May compassion, care, and loyalty never leave any home,” the President said.

“There is an undeniable truth in the world: the development of any country depends on a healthy and educated generation.

That is why, in building the New Uzbekistan, we are duty-bound to create every condition necessary for raising a healthy, educated, thoughtful, and patriotic youth,” the head of state emphasized.

He noted that over the past seven years, funding for preschool and school education has increased sevenfold, with 60 trillion soums allocated for this purpose in the current year alone.

Nearly one million new seats have been created in schools and 1.5 million in kindergartens. Preschool enrollment has tripled, reaching 78%.

More than ten types of incentive payments have been introduced for teachers, based on criteria such as qualifications, language proficiency, a new evaluation system, and participation in subject-based olympiads. As a result, 60,000 teachers who have made effective use of these opportunities now earn salaries ranging from 8 to 12 million soums.

The salaries of kindergarten teachers have increased by 65%, now reaching the level of school teachers’ wages. Starting from the new academic year, the salaries of school principals, their deputies, and heads of kindergartens will exceed 7 to 10 million soums.

The President also addressed existing problems in the sector.

He noted that curricula are being adapted to leading international standards, textbooks are being updated, and schools are being equipped with modern tools and technology.

However, concerns remain about how well teachers are mastering new teaching methods and delivering quality education.

For example, the transition to a transparent digital platform for assigning qualification categories two years ago revealed the actual state of affairs: last year, 341,000 teachers applied for certification, but 102,000 of them failed the exam.

A new system has been introduced for teacher recruitment, focusing on knowledge and qualification assessments rather than just the possession of a diploma. Out of 13,000 candidates who underwent the new testing process, 6,000 were not hired due to insufficient knowledge.

Additionally, while 61 non-state universities offer teacher training programs, none of them prepare teachers in chemistry, biology, or physics.

Last year, the curriculum of presidential and specialized schools was implemented in 1,500 general schools. However, 300 of these lacked modern laboratories and educational equipment.

Two years ago, vocational training for 10th graders in 60 professions began in 289 schools based on requests from various industries. In 114 of those schools, entrepreneurs were involved in the process — today, 4,000 students are earning wages ranging from 2 to 5 million soums.

The hokims of districts such as Dehqonobod, Guzar, Kosonsoy, Mingbulok, Uychi, Guliston, Sardoba, Khavast, Boysun, Denov, Shurchi, Muzrabad, Buvayda, Dangara, Khazorasp, and Khonka have been instructed to adapt at least one school in their area to this system.

However, criticism was voiced over the lack of essential equipment and materials needed for vocational training.

It was also noted with concern that students in grades 7 through 11 are spending up to eight hours a day on social media via their phones — a matter that should seriously alarm school principals, teachers, and parents alike.

Furthermore, in some regions, particularly Namangan, the dangerous practice of renting out cars to students has become widespread, leading to 10–15 youth injuries per month, some of them fatal.

The President pointed to the inaction of regional and district law enforcement heads and prosecutors in upholding the rule of law.

As a result, a directive has been issued to draft legislation introducing liability for allowing minors to operate motor vehicles.

“We have managed to achieve significant changes in the preschool and school education system. However, many unresolved issues still remain,” the President stated.

The Ministry of Preschool and School Education has been instructed to shift the entire system into a “90-day emergency mode.”

“To ensure the quality of education, the foremost priority must be a robust system for teacher training and professional development,” the President emphasized during the meeting.

In this regard, a decision was made to transform the Avloniy Institute for Advanced Training and reorganize its 13 regional branches.

Nizami University will be restructured into a National Pedagogical University and will serve as the main higher education institution for teacher training. Its rector will also hold the position of Deputy Minister responsible for personnel training.

Additionally, 12 pedagogical universities in the regions will be transferred under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

A unified system for assessing the knowledge and skills of teachers, students, and schoolchildren will be established, alongside the creation of an independent Center for Pedagogical Excellence and International Assessment.

Responsible agencies have now been tasked with implementing a completely new system for teacher training, professional development, and evaluation based on the newly established framework.

From now on, the operations of all pedagogical universities in the country will undergo a fundamental transformation. The President illustrated this by highlighting the case of the Termez Pedagogical Institute.

This institute will adopt an international management model similar to that of the “New Uzbekistan” University. Based on best practices from leading global universities, its faculty-based structure will be replaced by six specialized schools focused on exact sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, philology, applied sciences, and preschool and primary education.

The School of Exact Sciences will implement the curriculum of the Technical University of Munich. All other fields of study will be fully redesigned in line with the standards of the University of Cambridge.

The number of academic subjects will be streamlined from 20 to 15, educational specializations will be reduced from 31 to 17, and the overall study load will be cut by 20 percent.

Forty-seven schools in the city and district of Termez will serve as practicum bases for the institute. Three specialized schools and twelve that have adopted the new evaluation system will serve as methodological hubs, which the university will equip with modern laboratories.

Twenty faculty members of the institute who already hold international language certificates will be sent this year for advanced training in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Singapore.

Over the next three years, all faculty members of the institute will obtain foreign language certification and receive overseas training.

This model will be implemented across all pedagogical universities in the country.

It was emphasized that a radical transformation in both approach and curriculum is necessary in the 13 regional branches of the Avloniy Institute for Advanced Training. For instance, at the Jizzakh Center for Advanced Training, all 60 instructors will undergo retraining based on programs from leading universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Germany.

In addition, a dedicated base school will be designated for each of the 17 school subjects. One teacher from each of these base schools will be sent to the advanced training center for in-depth instruction through international programs and will receive the status of trainer. This means their level of knowledge and practical skills will be on par with that of the instructors at the center itself.

These trainers will then go on to train 25 top teachers in their respective districts, who will, in turn, provide professional development to other educators in their own schools.

District hokims have been tasked with establishing a professional excellence room in each base school and fully equipping it. All regional hokims have been warned that renovations of the regional advanced training centers, in line with the Avloniy Institute’s standards, must be completed by the end of this year.

Over the past year, 215 instructors underwent professional development at prestigious universities in the UK, France, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea.

Importantly, private schools have also joined this system and are sending their teachers for internships abroad. The President approved a proposal stipulating that 25–30% of those sent for such internships should be teachers from private schools and instructed the responsible parties to begin implementing this from the start of the new academic year.

Private universities are now being given broad access to the national education system. However, as the President pointed out, 70% of students enrolled in teacher training programs at private universities are specializing in preschool, primary education, or philology.

“If we do not increase the number of teachers in the exact and natural sciences, where will we find the thousands of specialists needed for such priority fields as IT, green energy, artificial intelligence, and new materials? From now on, pedagogical programs in private universities must align with state standards,” the President declared.

Faculty and students at private universities will undergo external diagnostics, allowing for quality control of teacher training in the non-state sector.

It was also noted that only 1% of Uzbek students studying abroad have enrolled in universities ranked in the global Top 100, even though the tuition fees at universities in the Top 10 and Top 200 differ by only 15–20%.

“Our young people are extremely talented. If we establish proper mentoring systems, career guidance, and preparation for university admission, our success rate will increase dramatically,” the head of state stressed.

The President announced that he has signed an important decree launching the National Program “The President’s Gifted Children” and establishing the “G’arvardchilar” School — an institution dedicated to preparing future students for Harvard University.

This educational institution will be created as the International Al-Beruni School. Already this year, 60 eighth-grade graduates will be selected for targeted preparation to enter top 10 universities in global rankings.

In addition, 208 consultants from Presidential and specialized schools will be assigned to general secondary schools. As part of the national program, these consultants will annually select 3,000 of the most promising students and prepare them for admission to leading U.S. universities such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Cornell.

This year, it has also been ordered that no fewer than five teachers from each pedagogical university and advanced training center, as well as from every district, be sent abroad for internships.

In 2025, $200 million has been attracted from the Islamic Development Bank for the construction of new schools. These funds will finance the building of 58 schools, creating 72,000 new student seats.

Additionally, regional governors have been tasked with establishing partnerships with international financial institutions and attracting investors from countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and South Korea. They are also expected to create conditions for local entrepreneurs to participate in school construction projects and secure at least $10 million in investments for each region.

Public-private partnership (PPP) was identified as the most effective way to expand school infrastructure. In this context, the timeframe for publishing PPP project announcements for schools and kindergartens is being reduced from 45 to 30 days. Responsible officials have been instructed to launch at least 100 such projects in the school education system this year.

Over the past seven years, preschool enrollment has increased from 700,000 to 2.3 million children. Today, there are around 7,000 public and over 31,000 private kindergartens operating across the country.

However, the President emphasized that quality remains a pressing issue:

"Enrollment has increased, but we still have much to do in terms of quality. Kindergartens must not simply be places of care, but environments where fundamental learning skills are developed."

Currently, almost all six-year-old children attend preparatory classes, and by next year, this figure is expected to reach 100 percent.

Beginning this year, a harmonized curriculum for preparatory groups and primary education will be introduced, grounded in leading international practices.

In particular, in cooperation with a reputable Singaporean organization, special programs will be developed to foster critical and creative thinking in mathematics, natural sciences, and technology.

A system of professional certification will also be introduced to improve qualifications, teaching skills, and the psychological training of educators working in both public and private kindergartens.

The meeting also addressed issues concerning the effective organization of leisure activities for young people.

Currently, the regions host Barkamol Avlod schools, the Yoshlik sports society in 14 regions, and the Republican Center for Student Youth. However, 219 Barkamol Avlod schools currently serve only 350,000 children.

In this regard, a decision was made to merge the Barkamol Avlod schools, the Yoshlik sports society, and the Center for Student Youth into a unified system.

These institutions will undergo major renovations and be equipped to meet modern and creative standards. They will offer new extracurricular clubs, including foreign language learning, artificial intelligence, programming, and animation.

A new school tourism development system will also be introduced.

In Karakalpakstan, Khorezm, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent, children's tourist camps with at least 100 beds each will be created on the basis of Barkamol Avlod centers.

Relevant ministries and agencies have been instructed to develop engaging tourist packages and to organize annual travel within Uzbekistan for one million schoolchildren.

Extensive efforts are also being made to protect children from harmful content, including the adoption of a special law in this area.

“Yes, many people today are working on the moral and spiritual upbringing of young people. But we still lack a professional organization focused on creating national content that can counteract harmful information, promote it, and support its creators,” the President stated.

In response, a Presidential decree has established a Center for the Development of Children’s Content under the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.

The Center will monitor the information environment for content that negatively affects children's upbringing and health, commission the creation of national content by local authors, and organize the training of specialists in this field. The Kori Niyoziy Institute will provide scientific support to the Center.

It was emphasized that these tasks should not be the sole responsibility of the Center— all relevant ministries must establish close collaboration with it.

The Center for the Development of Children’s Content will be headed by renowned film director Jahongir Akhmedov.

During the meeting, it was noted that in just a few days, more than 6 million schoolchildren and over 1 million university students will begin their summer holidays. It was stressed that the meaningful organization of youth leisure during the summer is of particular importance.

All regional governors and heads of the education system have been tasked with opening sports, science, and vocational clubs for youth at every educational institution, using school playgrounds and classrooms during the summer break.

For instance, in schools with low academic performance in certain subjects, top specialists will be engaged to conduct six-hour weekly courses for students.

To ensure meaningful leisure activities, it was emphasized that the full potential of the country's cultural infrastructure should be utilized, including nearly 900 theaters, cultural centers, and concert halls, around 1,500 sports grounds, 200 recreation camps, and more than 2,000 tourist sites.

Relevant agencies have been instructed to hold daily concerts and musical evenings in amphitheaters and recreational zones, as well as organize art exhibitions, poetry nights, and intellectual games in parks and cultural venues.

In Yangi O‘zbekiston Park and other parks in the capital, open-air concerts will be held every day.

These initiatives will also encompass sports events, aiming to engage 6 million young people.

Summer camps will implement special projects such as Descendants of Ibrat, Academy for Girls, and Reading. Day camps will be organized for 100,000 students on school premises.

A school league for the intellectual game Zakovat will be established.

As part of the “Digital Generation” initiative, at least 50,000 young people will receive training, and IT and cybersport tournaments will be held across the regions. Under the sub-program “Digital Generation — Girls,” selection rounds will take place at the district and regional levels.

Within the framework of the project My Mahalla — My Pride, 100,000 youth volunteers will be mobilized to provide social assistance.

A task has also been set to effectively utilize over 150 artificial and all natural bodies of water, while ensuring the safety of young people.

As part of the Month of Youth Tourism, excursions to museums and historical landmarks will be organized for 1 million young people.

Overall, it was emphasized that a special task force will be created to monitor the implementation of all announced initiatives and directives, and that this matter will remain under the personal supervision of the President.

District governors are now required to meet monthly with the heads of district departments for preschool and school education, school principals, and heads of kindergartens to resolve issues at the local level.

Responsible officials were explicitly instructed that from now on, heads of district education departments must not be involved in meetings unrelated to the education system.

During the meeting, the opinions and proposals of the leadership of the preschool and school education system were heard, along with reports from regional governors.