Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, held a meeting with representatives from the education and upbringing sector, during which a ceremony took place to award workers who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in this field.

The head of state warmly congratulated all participants on Teacher’s and Mentor’s Day, ceremoniously presenting state awards to those who deserved them.

The President emphasized that all reforms in various sectors and industries today aim to ensure human dignity, rights, and interests. The main task of the education system is to raise a new generation of citizens of Uzbekistan, which holds special significance.

“Who shapes a generation ready to boldly defend the interests of the Motherland and the people, possessing an active civic position, knowledge, and a creative approach? It is you, hardworking and selfless teachers. For this, first and foremost, the teacher must have legal, social, and financial protection. Only in this case can they reveal their true human and professional qualities,” the President noted.

He added, “In our updated Constitution, I sought to strengthen the status of the teacher as the most respected person in society. I know how hard a teacher’s job is, as I myself worked in this field for a long time. Unfortunately, in the recent past, we could not show due respect for these noble professions.”

The President also pointed out that in any field where additional labor is required, teachers are usually recruited. “Since the beginning of the new reforms, we have started addressing the issue of forced labor among teachers, children, and women,” he said.

“With determination, we have turned these unpleasant circumstances into history. This year, the law ‘On the Status of the Teacher’ was adopted. The rules enshrined in the Constitution will now be applied based on this law. Any pressure on teachers or involving them in matters unrelated to their professional activities will be prosecuted under the law,” the President emphasized.

It was highlighted that today, at the center of all changes in the education and upbringing sector should be an educated, creative, patriotic, and selfless teacher.

Otherwise, the funds allocated to the sector, the buildings and structures being built, and the material and technical base will be wasted, as if carried away into thin air.

“We must never allow this. The wealth earned by the state and the people must primarily serve for the education of youth, for our future,” the President said.

The President of Uzbekistan cited several examples of large projects being implemented in the education sector.

According to him, over the past seven years, 216 trillion soums have been allocated for the development of education. Of this amount, 19.5 trillion soums were directed to strengthen the material and technical base, resulting in the reconstruction and construction of 6,000 state schools and 3,500 kindergartens.

Thanks to the creation of favorable conditions for the private sector, the number of private schools has increased from 27 to 500, and the number of non-state kindergartens has risen from 250 to 30,000, the head of state added.

The President emphasized that these material resources need to be supplemented with intellectual and spiritual resources, as it is these that ensure the quality and effectiveness of education.

Intellectual and spiritual resources include the knowledge and experience of teachers, their mastery, cultural level, and moral condition.

Undoubtedly, achieving such harmony is difficult. For this, in addition to significant financial investments, colossal human resources, knowledge and experience, human potential, and, most importantly, the patriotic qualities of teachers are necessary.

Currently, strategic thinking in the education sector is vital. What does this mean?

It means that it is necessary to look 10-15 years ahead and develop educational institutions so that they work not only for current needs but also for the future.

History proves that those who lag in education and enlightenment will also lag in development.

“Every teacher, educator, director of a kindergarten or school must be a strategist to some extent. They must deeply realize that they serve high goals that determine the fate and future of the people,” the President noted.

In the past period, increased attention has been given to previously undervalued areas, in particular, teacher education and its scientific, theoretical, and practical foundations.

To address the shortage of personnel, the system of correspondence education in higher educational institutions has been restored.

The number of allowances paid to teachers based on their skills and achievements has increased from three to seventeen.

Six thousand teachers who diligently work on themselves and have obtained international certificates earn over 10 million soums. In 2020, there were only 102 such teachers.

Undoubtedly, this is still not enough, but it is worth noting that over the past two years, this number has increased by 5.3 times.

Over the past 5 years, 14 presidential schools and 9 creative schools have been established.

The President noted that these schools serve as a locomotive, so to speak.

Based on the programs of these schools, modern textbooks in natural and exact sciences are being created.

The most important thing is that these schools are beginning to yield specific results. One hundred graduates from these schools are studying at the top 100 universities in the world.

The assessment system in presidential schools is currently implemented in 500 general education schools. Teams from 66 schools that have successfully implemented an effective assessment system receive bonuses of up to 40%.

A new talent selection system for gifted youth through selection, which was not previously used, has been introduced in our country.

As a result, this year our students won 122 medals at international scientific Olympiads.

The level of coverage of school graduates in higher education has increased fourfold over the past seven years.

This year, 310,000 of our young men and women became university students, with almost half of them being girls.

Such success had not been achieved before.

“I repeat once again: no matter how many reforms are carried out, if we do not enhance the knowledge and professional skills of teachers, we will not be able to ensure quality education,” the President stated.

Currently, 46,000 educators work in state educational institutions, while 38,000 are in private organizations that have not upgraded their qualifications in five years, which is regrettable.

This year, artificial intelligence and digital technologies were used to ensure the transparency of the certification process. As a result, 21,000 out of 198,000 teachers were unable to score enough points for qualification. This is a situation that should raise concern among us all, as emphasized.

“The current open dialogue is not coincidentally taking place at the Abdullah Avloniy Institute for Advanced Studies, which has nearly a century-long history. Before the meeting, I familiarized myself with the conditions created at the institute, which has completely transformed today, and with the presentation of a new teacher training system. From this moment on, we will organize efforts to improve the quality of education in seven areas,” the President noted.

The Abdullah Avloniy Institute for Advanced Studies will be responsible for enhancing the professional skills of educators.

In the next three years, 50 billion soums will be allocated annually from the budget for the modernization and equipping of 12 regional centers of the institute.

Governors have been instructed to modernize all local advanced training centers.

A vertical system will be organized, linking the ministry, advanced training centers, schools, and kindergartens.

Additionally, 1,300 support schools and 200 kindergartens will be selected locally, where leading teachers will organize “Professional Development Day” and “Professional Development Hour” for young educators.

To this end, a 20% bonus will be added to the salaries of leading teachers.

Support for teachers and fair remuneration for their work will undoubtedly continue.

Starting from the new academic year, a certification system based on international standards will be introduced.

Educators who score 86 points or higher on the tests will receive an additional bonus of 70%.

For example, a biology teacher of the highest category who holds an international certificate in their subject may receive a 50% bonus, up to 40% from the principal’s fund, and an additional 70% if they meet the new requirements.

Thus, their total monthly salary could increase from 4.5 million soums to 12 million soums.

This clearly demonstrates that a salary of $1,000 for teachers is becoming a reality.

It has been emphasized that it is advisable to double the number of teachers sent for spa treatment.

Rectors should increase the number of spa vouchers for faculty by 50% using university development funds.

Last year, a training system for school directors was implemented, and currently, 1,206 of them already hold management certificates and receive corresponding bonuses.

Starting from 1 September 2025, this practice will also extend to kindergarten heads, who will receive an additional monthly bonus of up to 30%.

It has been noted that the shortage of specialized literature for school directors, including management skills manuals, necessitates the involvement of experts to develop such materials, which is an important task.

Due to population growth, there is a need for an additional 120,000 school places and 30,000 kindergarten places annually.

Next year, with the budget allocation of 3.2 trillion soums, 375 schools and 97 kindergartens will be renovated, and new institutions will be built.

Additionally, under the financing from the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund, $50 million will be allocated over the next four years to construct 200 private kindergartens, creating an additional 30,000 places.

Starting next year, entrepreneurs opening new schools in the private sector will be provided loans of up to 20 billion soums.

Moreover, 50% of utility expenses for new private school buildings will be covered by the budget for five years.

If entrepreneurs build a school at their own expense, the construction costs will be deducted from their profit tax over two years in equal installments.

To ensure quality and competitiveness in education, the level of digitalization will be increased.

Over the past five years, more than 13,500 computer classrooms have been equipped with 200,000 modern computers. Next year, over 2,000 more computer classrooms will be updated, with 400 billion soums allocated from the budget for this purpose.

Electronic educational materials will be loaded onto these computers, providing children with opportunities for self-learning.

To help students better grasp complex concepts, virtual laboratories in exact and natural sciences will be organized. Starting from the new academic year, such laboratories will be created in 10 schools in each region.

Furthermore, a unified online platform will be established where teachers can announce their opportunities, achievements, and new developments.

Just like in private kindergartens, attendance records, payments, and meal expenses will also be fully digitized in 6,800 state kindergartens.

Preliminary estimates suggest that this will save 10% of funds annually.

The saved money will be directed to the Education Development Fund and spent on improving the material and technical base of schools and incentivizing qualified teachers.

Presidential schools and specialized schools will be promoted.

In this regard, a system of assessment used in presidential and specialized schools has begun to be implemented in 1,000 general educational institutions.

However, in 300 of these, the material and technical base completely fails to meet requirements.

City and district governors have been instructed to receive information from schools weekly, strengthen efforts to eliminate shortcomings, and engage in close discussions with teachers to address existing issues.

Regional, district, and city governors are tasked with completing the ongoing repairs and equipping 300 schools in need of renovation within six months under the new assessment system.

From now on, the quality of education, school conditions, and the value of teachers will be the main criteria for evaluating regional leaders’ performance.

To establish a unified chain in the system of preschool, general, secondary specialized, and higher education, as well as professional development, pedagogical education clusters will be created.

The clusters will be organized for the first time in Andijan and Bukhara based on pedagogical colleges and will be managed by local pedagogical institutes.

The Andijan and Bukhara pedagogical institutes will allocate 25 billion soums from extrabudgetary funds for these purposes.

The selection system for talented young people will move to a new level. A center for preparation for international scientific Olympiads will be established.

The number of international scientific Olympiads supported by the state will increase from 18 to 22.

Students who win gold medals at prestigious international Olympiads will receive 170 million soums, silver medalists will receive 102 million soums, and bronze medalists will receive 68 million soums.

Moreover, the teachers of these students will be awarded from 50 million to 150 million soums and will be given the opportunity to receive a 100% annual bonus.

For the first time, a reward system will be introduced for team leaders of students who become winners at international scientific Olympiads.

Our children who win at international scientific Olympiads should be welcomed with honors and celebrated as heroes, presenting them to our people.

The President emphasized that the culture of reading among students should always be a focal point.

To increase students’ interest in books and promote a reading culture, a special competition has been organized, where winners will receive cars.

Responsible individuals have been tasked with further promoting this effort and, if necessary, reaching even the most remote villages.

For this purpose, schools will be equipped with necessary technology and fiber-optic internet for spirituality rooms and libraries, and all schools will have access to the electronic portal of the National Library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi.

The President addressed all parents, teachers, and mentors in our country:

"Our most precious and respected treasure in the world is our children and grandchildren, the flowers and fruits of our lives.

Undoubtedly, we all wish for them to become happy and successful individuals in the future. But achieving this is not easy.

Especially in today’s unstable times, achieving noble goals requires vigilance and caution, determination, high knowledge, and broad horizons; modern professions and skills are more relevant than ever.

Education and upbringing are the sacred duty of the entire society! This is a matter of life and death that demands our constant unity, activity, and selflessness.

Let us arm ourselves with kindness, knowledge, and enlightenment to block the path of ignorance and evil!

Let us create a solid foundation for the happiness of our children, a bright future, and the prosperity of our homeland!"

It was emphasized that trainers and military personnel should also actively participate in fostering patriotic feelings among the youth.

Today’s times require each of us to be defenders of our homeland, patriots.

In this regard, it is particularly important for brave and courageous sergeants and officers, as well as military training teachers, to set an example.

Currently, nearly 10,000 such teachers work in schools. Unfortunately, most of them lack modern knowledge and skills in military matters, and their working conditions do not meet requirements.

Now, these teachers will be appointed by the Minister of Defense from among reserve military personnel.

"In this matter, we must all deeply understand one idea. Patriotic education is not only the responsibility of military or educational staff. It is the concern of the entire society.

If we do not engage the public in this work, it will be difficult to achieve the expected results."

Of course, our young people can become good doctors, talented scientists, skilled it specialists, and successful entrepreneurs.

But if they do not grow up to be true patriots, then tell me, who will be responsible for the fate and future of our people and homeland tomorrow?

That is why local communities, elderly people, women, and youth organizations must have their own action programs on this issue.

We must all instill in the consciousness of our youth the idea: "I will become a true patriot," said the President.

In the field of upbringing, it was emphasized that much depends on the dedicated workers of our national sport, especially physical education teachers.

Unfortunately, the professional and physical skills of 33,000 physical education teachers in schools are insufficient.

Responsible individuals have been tasked with forming the composition of these teachers based on selections from among active and champion athletes, as well as establishing professional skills and qualifications improvement at the Institute of Physical Culture.

A separate project will be developed to promote chess, which plays an important role in the intellectual development of youth. This sport will be developed among our youth.

Thus, a unified sports system will be created, leading to improved quality of physical education classes in schools and the development of mass sports in localities.

Then, teachers and school directors working in various regions of our country shared their thoughts and proposals.

They expressed gratitude to the President for the extensive measures aimed at positive changes in the school education system, enhancing the prestige and status of the teaching profession, as well as for the worthy encouragement of the work of mentors and educators.

The President instructed the responsible individuals to thoroughly study the initiatives put forward by educators and implement them in practice.

"Once again, I emphasize: salvation lies in education, salvation lies in upbringing, salvation lies in knowledge. We all see the heavy and complex challenges that today’s fast-paced world presents us.

To address these challenges and achieve noble goals, our people must first equip the youth with knowledge, science, and the achievements of progress.

On this path, I primarily believe in you, relying on your deep knowledge and experience, pedagogical mastery, and unique human qualities," the President concluded his speech.