Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree “On approval of the Concept of development of the public education system of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030” on 29 April 2019.

The Decree approved the Concept of development of the public education system of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030 and the roadmap for its implementation.

Within the concept, Uzbekistan plans to enter into the 30 leading countries of the world according to the rating of the PISA (The Program for International Student Assessment) by 2030.

It is planned to implement measures to update of the content of the system of continuing education, as well as training, retraining and advanced training of professional personnel.

There is also plans to improve teaching methods, the phased introduction of the principles of individualization of the educational process.

Introduction of modern information and communication technologies and innovative projects in the field of public education is planned as well within the concept.

The concept will also directed to strengthen the material and technical base of public education institutions and improving the efficiency of budget financing.

Modern methods and directions of out-of-school education in educating young people and ensuring their employment will be introduced.

Expansion of the competitive environment in the public education system through the development of public-private partnerships is planned, etc.

According to the decree, the concept is implemented in stages by approving a separate annual roadmap in accordance with its main directions and target parameters to be fulfilled during the relevant period.

The concept identifies existing problems in the field of public education. In particular, there are problems in the administration of general secondary education. It is noted that local government agencies do not provide proper assistance to schools. Also, the level of state educational services does not meet the expectations and requirements of the population and business.

There are also deficiencies in the methodological support of general secondary education. There is no textbook variation system. There are also problems in the field of material and technical equipment and financing of schools, staffing.

The concept defines the main directions of development of the public education system. According to the document, the priority areas of development are the modernization of the content of education, structural changes in the education system and ensuring equality of access to quality education.

In particular, within the framework of the concept, measures will be taken to improve the content of general secondary education in order to create a competence-based learning model aimed at studying, first of all, foreign languages, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, which are later needed for mastering the professions in demand within the framework of the created innovative economy on the basis of new training standards, programs, textbooks and teaching materials.

Conditions will be created for the development of abilities of children in choosing a profession and independent planning of their professional career, and preparation for mastering modern popular professions.

The document notes that the mechanisms for conducting subject Olympiads will be revised, with the provision of transparent conditions for identifying the most talented and intelligent students, as well as the approximation of assessment forms and criteria to the relevant international Olympiads and competitions.

It is planned to modernize special education to ensure full coverage of all needy children with special psychological and educational assistance with the involvement of parents in the process of teaching and raising a child.

Within the framework of the concept, it is planned to introduce a new wage system in the field of public education, with the use of incentive allowances for teachers and managers, taking into account the performance of their activities and the effectiveness of using modern educational technologies.

A system of partnerships of educational and industrial complexes with business entities will be formed to study the labor market and create an inclusive education system for teaching children with disabilities, including the establishment of special devices in educational institutions (lifting devices, ramps, handrails, etc.), also providing the appropriate human resources (teachers-defectologists, specialists in psychological and pedagogical support of children).

As part of the implementation of the concept, a national system for assessing the quality of general secondary education will be created using the methodology for assessing educational achievements applied in the framework of the program for the international study on the evaluation of educational achievements (PISA).

Measures will also be taken to improve the quality of resource support for educational institutions, especially those located in remote rural areas, as well as to ensure access to all secondary educational institutions to the Internet and increase the level of computerization of the educational process.

It is planned to create conditions for increasing the attractiveness of the work of teachers in educational institutions located in remote rural areas.

Support will be provided to children with disabilities. They will be integrated into regular educational institutions. There will also be expanded the network of non-state school educational institutions, as well as educational institutions operating in the framework of public-private partnerships.

As a result of the implementation of the concept, Uzbekistan will introduce new state educational standards and curricula for general secondary education, which meet the requirements of the modern innovation economy, taking into account the STEAM disciplines, with an emphasis not on memorizing and reproducing information, but on developing competencies and skills important for life in the XXI century (critical thinking, independent search and analysis of information, etc.).

Modern educational technologies will be introduced to ensure the expansion of competencies mastered by students. Presidential schools and “Modern schools” will be created in the country, etc.

The concept emphasizes that effective anti-corruption mechanisms will be adopted in the public education system.

Special attention will be paid to the issues of equipping schools and introducing modern budgeting approaches focused on results and regulatory per capita financing of educational institutions on the principle of “money follows a student” (voucher system).

As a result of the implementation of the measures stipulated in the concept, by 2030, 4,860 schools will be transformed into “modern schools”. Electronic resources will be created for teachers on the basis of state requirements and curricula for advanced training courses for teachers, in order to provide methodological assistance.

It is expected that improving the quality of out-of-school education will bring the outreach education coverage of children up to 50% of the total number of students.

About 3 thousand teachers (non-specialists) will take courses in pedagogical and professional retraining in academic subjects.

Measures will be taken to organize the uninterrupted supply of all general education institutions of the public education system with electricity, natural gas, coal, drinking water and other utilities.