Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev instructed Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov to conclude contracts with ministers and their deputies in the social sphere, as well as deputy khokims for a period of one year and establish performance indicators (KPIs) for them.

The head of state announced this at a meeting on tasks in education, healthcare, digitalization, culture and sports for 2024.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that 13 ministries and departments, as well as 223 deputy khokims, are responsible for the social sphere in the country, however, the implementation of tasks for the development of these areas in the regions has shortcomings.

The President expressed concern about the insufficient relationship between preschool and school education, noting that in this area there is imperfection in coordination between kindergartens, schools and colleges. He also emphasized the lack of attention on the part of khokims to youth issues and the organization of events on spirituality and sports in schools.

To eliminate the shortcomings, new deputy ministers of preschool and school education were appointed, who will create a new atmosphere of education, upbringing and spirituality in schools.

The President also noted shortcomings in the work of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, emphasizing that due to the increase in the number of departments responsible for vocational education, this area is not developing properly. He highlighted the lack of cooperation between employers and technical schools, and also expressed concern about the coverage of higher education and its quality.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that it is necessary to pay more attention to the quality of education, create conditions for independent work of students and improve interaction between educational institutions and the needs of employers. In the field of science and innovation, despite the allocation of funds in the amount of 6 trillion soums over the past 7 years, the effective formula “financing - research - products” does not work.

The President noted that some rectors do not show initiative and dedication, so a new minister was appointed, who was tasked with carrying out radical changes in vocational and higher education.