The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a dialogue with teachers and mentors at the National Institute of Pedagogical Excellence.

In Uzbekistan, great goals have been set in all spheres and industries. Their implementation depends on the younger generation’s knowledge, thinking, education, and patriotism. Teachers must be legally, socially, and financially protected and sufficiently provided for these tasks to be completed. In this regard, the special status of a teacher was enshrined in the renewed Constitution of Uzbekistan. Also, this year, the Law “On the Status of a Teacher” was adopted.

The wealth of Uzbekistan is primarily invested in the education of the younger generation. Over the past seven years, a total of 216 trillion UZS has been allocated for the development of the education system. 19.5 trillion UZS were allocated from the budget to strengthen the material and technical base, which made it possible to reconstruct and build 6 thousand public schools and 3.5 thousand kindergartens. 800 thousand additional places were created in schools and 535 thousand in kindergartens. 

Thanks to the creation of broad opportunities for the private education sector, private schools have increased from 27 to 500, and non-state kindergartens – from 250 to 30 thousand.

The number of bonuses paid to teachers depending on their professional skills and achievements has increased from 3 to 17. Six thousand teachers who have actively worked on themselves and received international certificates now receive a salary of more than 10 million UZS.

The activities of 14 Presidential schools and 9 schools of creativity have been established. Based on their curricula, modern textbooks on natural and exact sciences are created. The assessment system introduced in the Presidential schools is now used in 500 general education schools. The staff of 66 schools that have successfully organized the assessment process receive a bonus of up to 40 percent.

A new, previously non-existent system for selecting talented youth has been established in Uzbekistan. As a result of this system, our students have won 122 medals at international subject Olympiads this year alone.

Over the past seven years, the number of school graduates enrolled in higher education has increased fourfold. This year, 310 thousand young people became students, and almost half were girls.

During the conversation, the Head of state focused on the issue of the quality of education. It was noted that 46 thousand teachers in public education institutions and 38 thousand teachers in private organizations have not improved their qualifications over the past five years. As a result of certification carried out using artificial intelligence and digital technologies, 21 thousand teachers could not score enough points to confirm their qualifications. Unfortunately, such situations have a negative impact on students’ knowledge levels.

In this regard, seven key areas, including tasks to improve the quality of education to a new level, were identified.

First direction. The Abdulla Avloni Institute will be responsible for improving teachers’ professional skills. In the next three years, 50 billion UZS will be allocated from the budget annually for modernizing and equipping 12 regional centers of the institute. A vertical system of advanced training will be introduced, which will unite the relevant ministry, the advanced training center, the school, and the kindergarten.

In addition, 1,300 support schools and 200 kindergartens will be selected. “Professional Development Day” and “Professional Development Hour” will be organized for young teachers. Leading teachers participating in these programs will be paid a bonus of 20 percent of their salary.

Second direction. Support for teachers and incentives for their professional activity will be continued. From the next academic year, a qualification certificate based on international standards will be issued. Teachers who score 86 or more points on exams will receive an additional bonus of 70 percent.

The Head of state also announced the Teacher of the Year competition, the winners of which will be provided with housing. The annual number of teachers sent to sanatoriums and recreation areas will be doubled.

A year ago, a system of training school principals was introduced. 1,206 principals have completed courses and received a manager’s certificate. Now, these principals are paid an additional 3 million UZS. From September 1, 2025, this practice will be extended to heads of kindergartens, who will be paid a monthly bonus of up to 30 percent.

It was emphasized that literate and dedicated teachers are a unique wealth of the people. In this regard, the need to create books and films about them under the title “Respect for the Teacher” was indicated.

Third direction. Due to population growth, there is an annual need for 120 thousand additional places in schools and 30 thousand in kindergartens. Next year, 375 schools and 97 kindergartens will be reconstructed and built using 3 trillion 200 billion UZS allocated from the budget.

In addition, 200 private kindergartens will be built in the next four years using $50 million from the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund, creating 30,000 new places.

To increase the number of student places in the private sector, entrepreneurs wishing to open a school will be provided with loans of up to 20 billion UZS starting from the new year. The budget will cover part of the interest rate on loans, exceeding the base rate by 1.5 times. Also, 50 percent of utility costs for constructing new private school buildings will be compensated from the budget for up to five years.

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

Fourth direction. To ensure quality and competition in education, the level of digitalization will be increased. Over the past five years, more than 13.5 thousand computer classes have been equipped with 200 thousand modern computers. Next year, another 2 thousand computer classes will be updated, for which 400 billion UZS will be allocated from the budget.

These computers will be equipped with electronic educational materials, increasing students’ opportunities for independent learning. To facilitate the assimilation of complex concepts, virtual laboratories in the exact and natural sciences will be created. From the new academic year, such laboratories will be installed in 10 schools in each region.

A single online platform will also be created where teachers can publish their achievements, capabilities, and new developments.

16 experts from Singapore will improve the professional skills of teachers of mathematics and natural sciences. Teachers will regularly test their knowledge on an artificial intelligence-based educational platform. 

As in private kindergartens, the attendance, payment, and formation of food expenses will be fully digitalized in 6,800 public kindergartens. For this purpose, the kindergartens will be equipped with tablets.

Fifth direction. The experience of presidential and specialized schools will be disseminated. The assessment system used in Presidential schools will be implemented in another 1,000 general education institutions. Hokimiyats have been given instructions on repairing and equipping these schools at the proper level.

Clusters of pedagogical education will be organized in the cities of Andijan and Bukhara as an experiment to create a single educational chain covering pre-school, general secondary, secondary specialized, higher education, and advanced training.

Sixth direction. The selection system of talented youth will be brought to a new level. For this purpose, a center for preparation for international subject Olympiads will be created.

The number of supported international subject Olympiads will increase from 18 to 22. Students who win a gold medal at a prestigious international Olympiad will be paid 170 million UZS, for a silver medal 102 million UZS, and for a bronze medal 68 million UZS.

The teachers who prepared these students will also be paid bonuses of 50 to 150 million UZS and given the opportunity to receive a 100 percent bonus during the year. Team leaders whose students became winners of international Olympiads for the first time will also be encouraged.

The President put forward an initiative to establish a scholarship named after Abdulla Avloni for gifted students studying pedagogy.

Seventh direction. It focused on the issues of upbringing and morality, which are an integral part of education. For this purpose, the National Institute of Educational Pedagogy named after Kara Niyazi was established.

Developing ideological immunity in young people and creating digital content on upbringing for parents, teachers, and students was emphasized.

Tasks were also defined for using theater and cinema, supporting youth creativity, popularizing physical education and sports, and further expanding the readership.

The meeting ended with an open dialogue. The teachers present at the meeting, and those who joined from the regions expressed their opinions and suggestions. The President supported them and instructed the responsible persons to take measures to implement the proposals.

UzA