Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 9 October 2019, a meeting of coordinators from developing countries of the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia region of the Global Partnership in Education (GPE) began in Tashkent.

Representatives of the education sector of Uzbekistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Tajikistan and Yemen will participate in the three-day event.

A delegation of the GPE Secretariat, led by the Senior Partnerships Officer and Team Leader Michelle Mesen, arrived in Uzbekistan to attend this meeting.

This meeting was organized to discuss issues of developing cooperation with the GPE and acquaintance with the organization procedures, as well as familiarizing the GPE secretariat with the large-scale reforms in the field of public education, which are implemented in the country.

Within three days, participants will get acquainted with the activities of the civil society, the principles of the organization, the process of preparing the Education Sector Plan and receiving grant funds for the development of education.

The issues of planning, implementation and monitoring of the Education Sector Plan, exchange of experience between countries and other topics will also be considered.

In particular, the meeting participants will have the opportunity to get acquainted with ongoing reforms in the field of education in general and the experience of Uzbekistan in implementing joint projects, in particular.

Representatives of foreign countries will also visit general school No. 14 of the Kibray district, sponsored by a GPE grant.

As part of the cultural program, guests will visit the Hastimom complex and other attractions of the capital.

Global Partnership in Education (GPE) was founded in 2002 and aims to mobilize efforts at the global and national levels to ensure equitable quality education.

GPE is a trust fund of the World Bank Group. GPE’s activities are mainly funded by 21 developed donor countries, including the European Union. The GPE brings together developing countries, donor countries, international organizations, civil society, pedagogical professional organizations, the private sector and international foundations that promote the development of education.

In order to receive grant funds for implementing reforms in the field of education, the governments of developing countries, as a rule, create Local educational groups and adopt Education Sector Plans for 5 years.

The highest governing body of the partnership, which establishes its policy and strategy, is the Board of Directors. The Council includes members of governments of developing countries and all development partners. In April 2019, the Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sherzod Shermatov was elected as one of the representatives of the Board of Directors of the GPE.

The Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan is the chairman of the Local Education Group and successfully cooperates with the GPE.

For the implementation of the Education Sector Plan of Uzbekistan for 2013-2018, a grant for US$49.9 million was allocated by the GPE

GPE approved the Education Sector Plan of Uzbekistan for 2019-2023 and issued a grant factor of US$10 million to Uzbekistan.