The development of a nation is closely tied to consistent reforms and renewal. Key focus areas include valuing human dignity, ensuring a prosperous lifestyle, promoting public peace and health, and upholding the rule of law. These vital standards are achieved by nurturing a generation equipped with quality education and exemplary upbringing.
A crucial element of this progress is enhancing the knowledge and skills of teaching staff. Significant efforts are underway to supply general education institutions with qualified and talented pedagogical personnel. To date, over 40,000 educators in Uzbekistan have received bonuses based on international and national certification standards, undergoing regular verification processes. For the current academic year, bonuses are allocated for 21 subjects based on national and international certifications, an increase from 18 subjects in the previous academic year.
Foreign language proficiency has notably improved in recent years. In 2024, the number of students with language proficiency certificates reached 37,074, representing a 3.3-fold increase compared to 2021. Similarly, the number of teachers holding nationally and internationally recognized certifications increased from 1,944 (5%) in 2021 to 27,992 (56.5%) by 2023, compared to 32% in the same year for foreign language teachers.
The “Best School for Teaching Foreign Languages” competition for the President’s Prize of the Republic of Uzbekistan was introduced. Over the years, nearly 110,000 students aged 14-16 have participated in this competition. Notably, 32,210 students from 6,442 schools took part in the 2023/2024 academic year. In the 2022/2023 academic year, 70 national-level participants and 14 of their teachers were sent on educational trips to the United Kingdom.
Additionally, a program to teach one profession and two foreign languages in general education schools has been implemented. Curricula have been developed for second foreign languages, including English, German, French, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. In the previous academic year, 208 schools introduced two foreign languages, a number that has risen to 356 schools for the 2024/2025 academic year.
For the 2023/2024 academic year, 500 foreign specialists were engaged to work in public schools. As a result, the language proficiency levels of students in schools with foreign specialists increased by 5% to 15% on average in various regions. Consequently, 8,951 students earned international language proficiency certificates.
In the 2023/2024 academic year, Uzbek students won 122 medals in international subject Olympiads, marking a record achievement. The number of medals won in prestigious international and regional Olympiads increased 2.7 times in recent years, from 45 (2022: 3 gold, 17 silver, 25 bronze) to 122 (2024: 15 gold, 39 silver, 68 bronze).
For the first time in history, in 2024, Uzbek students achieved significant results in international competitions: Rayyona Ibrohimova won a gold medal at the International German Language Olympiad in Germany, Zarnigor Rahimova won bronze at the European Girls’ Informatics Olympiad in the Netherlands, and Jasurbek Rizoqulov from Qarshi Presidential School won bronze at the International Economics Olympiad in Hong Kong.
In the same year, the state budget allocated a total of 9 billion UZS to reward winners of regional and national levels of major Olympiads and international competitions, a significant increase from 780 million UZS in 2019 (approximately 11.5 times higher).
All public schools in Uzbekistan have been connected to the internet, with access provided under the “Education” tariff plan. For the 2024-2025 academic year, textbook sets were purchased to teach a second foreign language to 10th-grade students in general secondary education institutions. These include German language textbooks from the German publisher Klett-Verlag (20,400 copies), English language textbooks from the Greek publisher MM Publications (4,100 copies), French language textbooks from the French publisher Hachette Livre International (11,000 copies), and Chinese language textbooks from the Chinese publisher Beijing Language and Culture University Press (1,100 copies).
To address textbook shortages due to increased student numbers, an additional 1.1 million copies of 11th-grade textbooks were printed. For students with special educational needs, 6,629 copies of textbooks in Braille have been published.
As part of pilot initiatives, new assessment methods implemented in 500 schools will be expanded to 1,500 schools in the 2024/2025 academic year. Preparations are also underway for Uzbekistan’s participation in the PISA 2025 study, in collaboration with the OECD and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).
More than ten educational and pedagogical records maintained in schools, including minutes of pedagogical council meetings, student movement records, and order books, have been fully digitized. Paper-based formats for these records have been discontinued.
For children requiring long-term treatment (for hematological, oncological diseases, and clinical immunology), a state educational institution “Mehrli Maktab” was established in 2022, along with its seven branches in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Andijan, Bukhara, Namangan, Samarkand, and Fergana regions, as well as in the city of Tashkent (2023-2024). The educational and upbringing programs cover 9,424 children.
The average admission scores of school graduates for higher education institutions have increased from 69.8 points to 78 points over the past five years.
Sardor Radjabov,
Deputy Minister of Preschool
and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan