Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The number of government grants will be determined based on the choice of universities by applicants with the highest scores. This was discussed at the presentation on the higher education system under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Education is a process that is constantly evolving and transforming. In order to accelerate reforms in this direction, the project office “Center for Projects in Education” was created by a decree of the head of state on February 2 of this year. Over the past time, the office, together with ministries, has developed measures and initiatives to organize the educational process on new principles, increase the potential of personnel and the quality of educational services to international standards.

At the presentation to the President, held on 6 May, proposals for optimizing areas of study in higher education and improving admissions and qualification systems were discussed.

Today, the country’s universities offer 306 bachelor’s degrees and 625 master’s degrees. However, some of them do not meet international standards and the requirements of the modern labor market. This creates certain difficulties in developing full-fledged qualifications among graduates and their employment.

In this regard, proposals have been put forward to revise the areas of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as to open new areas in more popular areas based on the international classification of education and advanced foreign experience.

The issue of optimizing dean’s offices and other administrative structures through digitalization of the educational process in universities was also considered. Instructions were given to completely review educational processes and implement a new system by 1 September.

The next important issue is to further ensure fairness in admission to universities and provide access to government grants to the most capable applicants. The current admission system and distribution of quotas cannot be called completely competitive. Some applicants who score high may not be admitted because the university to which they applied has filled its quota.

According to the new procedure, an applicant who scores high in a specific area will be recommended for a state grant, regardless of the chosen university. That is, young people who score high will definitely have the opportunity to study.

Another innovation: now the state grant will not be provided to one student for 4 years, but will be redistributed annually among students who have achieved high results.

The head of state emphasized the need for a fair organization of this system and informing young people and parents about it.

There are also many pressing questions regarding qualification requirements. Some criteria in our country do not fully comply with international standards and employer requirements. Of the approximately 8 thousand existing blue-collar professions, qualification standards have not been developed for more than 5 thousand, and the existing ones are unclear and of low quality.

In addition, certification has not been introduced in qualification assessment centers. The processes and documentation of the national qualifications system are not digitalized.

In this regard, it was decided to create an Institute for the Development of the National Qualifications System and, together with employers, develop the necessary qualification requirements.

– This is a problem that directly affects employment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop laws in this area, determine the responsibilities of ministries and departments, and strengthen control over their implementation, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The presentation also analyzed the quality of technical education.

More than three thousand industrial enterprises are created in our country every year, creating 146 thousand jobs. More than 25 thousand engineers and technologists are required per year.

Despite the fact that personnel are trained in 33 state technical higher educational institutions, the quality of education does not meet the required level. Some subjects and specializations taught here have already been excluded from the programs of leading foreign technical universities. Almost half of the curricula and programs do not meet the requirements of the labor market and international standards.

Responsible persons have been pointed out to the need for fundamental changes in this area of education.