The Global Education Forum began its work as part of the ongoing 25th session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in Samarkand.

The event is attended by delegates from 140 countries, ministers of tourism and heads of tourism departments, education officials, and heads of higher education institutions in Uzbekistan.

The Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Rector of the “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abdukhakimov, the Minister of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan Hilola Umarova, the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili addressed the event.

“Uzbekistan has been the birthplace of science and education since ancient times”, says Mr. Abdukhakimov. “This can be seen in the example of Registan Square in Samarkand. Built in the Middle Ages, three majestic buildings were madrassas, in modern terms, institutions of higher education. Today, some universities in Samarkand are the legal successors of these madrassas. Even though our “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage is considered a relatively young higher education institution, it provides training in tourism under special programs. Young people come to study at the university not only from all over Uzbekistan, but also from SCO member countries. Among the students, there are representatives of almost 20 countries. Most of our professors and teachers are foreign specialists. In addition, we provide educational and methodological assistance to more than ten technical schools and colleges in training specialists in tourism”.

The Minister of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Hilola Umarova, spoke about the reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan in education, as well as their high results, and noted that in this process, special attention is paid to children’s tourism.

“Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the economy”, says Ms. Umarova. “The necessary measures are being taken to develop an understanding of this area among the younger generation from childhood and to increase their interest in this direction. The ministry’s system has children’s tourist centers in Samarkand and Namangan regions. We want to establish tourism lessons in 20 schools in Samarkand as an experiment. In this regard, we are cooperating with the World Tourism Organization”.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that tourism is developing rapidly globally. Therefore, the need for qualified personnel in this area is increasing.

Mr.  Pololikashvili noted that specialists are needed to implement large-scale projects in the tourism sector and provide quality services to tourists. Over the past two years, the UNWTO has begun implementing several tourism education projects, yielding results. “In this sense, we welcome the teaching of tourism to schoolchildren in Uzbekistan as a separate subject. This is the world’s first experience in this direction. We also support the creation of a tourism academy in Samarkand”, the UNWTO Secretary-General said.

The forum includes discussions at the ministerial level on issues related to innovation and education for current and future generations.

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G.Khasanov, photos by by A.Isroilov, UzA