Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 1-2 February, a group of journalists from Uzbekistan and international media take part in a press tour organized to Samarkand region, Tailak district, to familiarize themselves with the results of work in the preschool education system and projects implemented jointly with the World Bank.

The relevance of the problem of assessing the quality of preschool education is increasing every day. Employees are faced with a continuous task - to structure their work so that it not only meets the needs of society, but also ensures the preservation of the intrinsic value and uniqueness of the preschool period of childhood.

The goal is to organize the educational activities of a preschool educational institution as a system that includes diagnostic, preventive and correctional and developmental aspects that ensure a high, reliable level of speech and intellectual development of a preschooler.

First, the participants took part in a press conference held with the participation of representatives of the Preschool Education Agency and the World Bank and the project implementation team, and received information about the progress of the project. It was noted that, according to international experience, investments in high-quality preschool education ensure the preparation of children for school education, their social adaptation, and the development of necessary knowledge and social-emotional skills. In Uzbekistan, promising projects are being implemented for the same purpose together with international organizations.

In accordance with the education development plan for 2019-2023, together with the World Bank, new and alternative models of preschool education have been introduced into practice in remote areas and hard-to-reach areas of our country.

The next step in this direction was the project “Improving the early development of young children,” launched on the basis of the Tailak Pedagogical College of the Samarkand region and on the basis of the Kasansay Pedagogical College of the Namangan region. As part of the project and by order No. 195 of the Ministry of Education and Science, “Early Development Centers” began operating as a pilot experiment, each of which includes 3 alternative models:

1. Home visits to low-income families with children not enrolled in preschool education,

2. Organization of 20 developmental play groups,

3. Home visits to families with children with additional educational needs. 

The main goal of the project is the development of the age and individual potential, abilities and needs of the child, further physical, mental and spiritual development, social adaptation, individual educational programs for children with special needs, as well as the creation of a favorable environment that allows them to receive modern inclusive preschool education.

Additional information has been received about Early Development Centers. work according to three models. The first model is aimed at families with children aged 3–6 years who are not enrolled in preschool education, as well as those who live in remote rural areas and do not have access to preschool education. Work with children is organized in families, with the active participation of parents in accordance with the state curriculum “First Step”.

The second model works on the basis of play groups. Such groups opened at the Early Development Center for children 3-7 years old. The educational process is carried out in accordance with the state curriculum "First Step", parents can participate on a voluntary basis. Play groups consist of children of a certain or different ages. There can be from 15 to 20 children in a group.

According to the third model, families with children aged 2-6 years with disabilities due to health conditions are visited. When working with children in need of special education, parents will be provided with the necessary psychological and pedagogical assistance. A defectologist, psychologist, and teachers will come to your home.

Project experts claim that the project “Improving the Early Development of Young Children” has been successfully tested as a pilot project. experiment.

This project will help many single mothers, families in need of social protection, as well as social adaptation in the lives of children from families with disabilities, and will provide them with psychosocial support. This will help people find their place in society, as well as the development of children who have been neglected and age-appropriate coverage.

There are 50 mahallas in Tailak district, of which children from 41 mahallas are covered by preschool education through alternative models. The farthest mahallas are located 45-50 km from the center.

Since the beginning of the project, the center has covered 1,413 families and 1,617 children from these families.

The World Bank Group supports the efforts of the Government of Uzbekistan to expand the provision of ECD (early child development) services through the Improving Early Childhood Development Investment Project (the “Project”), which became effective on 13 December 2019.

The project is being implemented by the Preschool Education Agency under the Ministry of Preschool and School Education for five years (until 31, December 2024), divided into components and mainly financed by the International Development Association (IDA). The project includes the following components:

Component 1 – Improving the quality of preschool education.
This component consists of two sets of activities, one focusing on quality issues and the other on issues related to system capacity and good governance.

Component 2-Improving access to quality early childhood learning environments.
This component will provide support for improving the quality of the early childhood learning environment and will also support out-of-school activities for children not attending kindergarten, which should lead to increased access to early childhood education.

Component 3 – Partnership with the private sector through the mechanism of “social bonds”.
This component will support the development and implementation of an innovative approach to impact financing – the Social Bond (SB) mechanism – through partnerships with private service providers/preschools.

Component 4 – Establishment of a system for measuring the quality of education.
This component will support the creation of a system for measuring the quality of education for informed decision-making in Uzbekistan. The system will cover the areas of preschool and general secondary education, which are elements of the country’s continuous educational system.
Component 5 – Project management support.
This component supports activities related to the day-to-day management of the proposed project, its monitoring and auditing.

Results:
- In the 2021-2022 academic year, 9 children with special educational needs, and in the 2022-2023 academic year, 20 children with special educational needs had the opportunity to study in the same class with their peers in a regular school.
- More than three thousand students study at the Centers in Namangan and Samarkand regions. The teachers were interviewed by specialists and psychologists from the Preschool Education Agency, and also improved their skills at seminars and trainings.

In 2019, entrepreneur Dilafruz Oripovna Marupova founded a pre-school educational institution “Millat Khazinasi” for 250 children in the Akdarya district on a PPP basis. Today, 210 children are being educated in this institution in 7 groups.

50 children are educated in a family non-state preschool educational institution for 50 places, organized by private entrepreneur Dilfuza Dzhumaeva in the village of Bakhshtepa, Tailak district.