Problems in social spheres discussed

On February 5, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting to discuss priority tasks in the social spheres.

Building a social state in Uzbekistan is determined by a strategic goal. All measures are being taken to create decent living conditions for the population and develop education, healthcare, culture, and sports.

Over the past seven years, enrollment in preschool education has increased from 27 percent to 74 percent. New schools were built, and an additional 700 thousand student places were created. Presidential schools were organized. The number of specialized schools was increased. The number of higher education institutions exceeded 200, and higher education coverage amounted to 42 percent. Broad conditions have been created for private sector activities in education and healthcare.

However, there are shortcomings in working with the population, introducing modern standards, and digitalization in these areas. These problems were analyzed at the meeting, and tasks for the current year were identified.

The need was emphasized to provide all preschool education institutions with educational and methodological materials corresponding to national values and the complete digitalization of food supply, attendance, and payments. The issues of selection and appointment of candidates for the positions of kindergarten directors and advanced training of teachers were also considered.

There are many challenges to be overcome in education. Therefore, last week, a Project Office was created that brings together specialists with extensive scientific and practical experience. The office and the Scientific and Methodological Center for Educational Development will update school curricula and programs based on international standards in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and foreign languages. International experience (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS) will be gradually introduced to assess students’ and teachers’ knowledge.

The curriculum of the Presidential Schools will be introduced in another 1 thousand schools. Accordingly, their material and technical base will be improved. The practice of attracting native speakers of foreign languages to schools will expand.

If young people acquire at least one profession during school, they will reach adulthood. For this purpose, a list of 50 professions for study at school will be compiled, and educational programs and workshops will be developed for them. Workshops and clubs will be organized in schools with the involvement of entrepreneurs and specialists, and the position of “Master of Vocational Education” will be introduced. Free premises in schools will be provided to entrepreneurs to train students in professions for free. Students who complete the professional course and pass the exam will be issued a certificate of competency.

The Head of state touched upon the issue of education and spirituality in schools. It was emphasized that through the patriotic education of students, it is necessary to form in them “immunity to crime”. A decision was made to transfer 2 thousand school psychologists from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the National Guard system.

Particular attention will be paid to attendance and students with “difficult” behavior. The responsibility of parents and mahalla chairpersons will be strengthened. An electronic platform for communication between schools, parents, and mahallas will be launched.

Based on an analysis of social networks popular among young people, recommendations will be developed for parents on protecting children from harmful influences and using their helpful features. Also, manuals on raising children will be prepared for parents.

“The implementation of these initiatives is designed to increase the responsibility of parents, the professionalism of teachers, the confidence of students, the quality of education and upbringing, and the involvement of mahallas in this process”, the President said.

The inconsistency of some areas of professional and higher education with the requirements of the modern labor market and the trends of technological progress was emphasized. Employers need personnel, students have the potential and desire to work, but there is no organic system that would connect them.

Therefore, from now on, the Republican Council for the Development of Professional Qualifications and Competencies and the Institute for Labor Market Research will be assigned to the Education Project Office.

The standards for 100 in-demand professions will be updated, considering the experience of Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. At the same time, qualification requirements will be adapted to the needs of employers. Training requirements according to new standards will be established for vocational education teachers.

Starting from the new academic year, training in technical schools will be organized based on a new system that ensures the connection between the academic component and working specialties. Thus, educational programs, textbooks, criteria for assessing knowledge, and requirements for teachers in grades 1 and 2 of technical schools and colleges will be the same as at universities.

A “credit system” will also be introduced in technical schools, and accumulated “credits” for academic performance will be recognized at universities. That is, students who have accumulated a sufficient number of “credits” over two years of study at a college or technical school will have the opportunity to continue their studies in the second or third year of the university under the “2+2” or “2+3” programs.

The opportunities for those who decide to start working in production after graduating from a technical school or college will be expanded. Thus, those who have studied at colleges and technical schools for a working profession, after two to three years of work and gaining experience, can pass an exam and receive a qualification equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.

Responsible persons were instructed to develop the conditions and procedures for the interconnection of universities, technical schools, and colleges based on foreign experience. The task was set to determine specific criteria for assigning status to higher education institutions, optimize undergraduate areas, and update educational programs based on the programs of universities included in the top 300.

It has been determined that the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation will operate under the Presidential Administration by introducing a new system of sending people to study abroad.

Healthcare is one of the areas that has an essential place in the population’s life. At the meeting, special attention was paid to current issues in this direction.

Pointing to the insufficient quality and shortage of specialists in primary care, the President instructed the Ministry of Health to post all vacancies on the online platform and create a transparent personnel selection system.

It was emphasized that specialized scientific and practical medical centers should be closer to village residents. The tasks have been set to connect them with primary care and accelerate digitalization.

For the early detection of diseases, the screening system for cardiovascular, oncological, and endocrine diseases of the population in risk groups will be changed. The republican centers of cardiology, endocrinology, and oncology will be responsible for this.

Bonuses will also be introduced for medical teams for each case of oncology detected at an early stage. This experiment will begin on May 1 in Kashkadarya and will be launched in other regions next year.

Outdated clinical protocols and standards will be adapted to international standards with the involvement of foreign experts. Treatment of patients with mild cases of the disease will be expanded not with drugs, but with natural remedies that increase immunity, physical exercise and herbal medicine.

Instructions were given to hire modern managers and carry out international accreditation of 23 medical centers, 12 universities, and 2 centers of advanced training. The result should be the introduction of new methods of training doctors and nurses, improvement of the quality of treatment, prevention of the prescription of numerous drugs, and, most importantly, the formation of an environment of advanced clinics in medical institutions.

Over the past two years, 90 billion UZS have been allocated from the budget for the digitalization of the medical sector. As a result, access to medical services has become more accessible and convenient. Now the “Electronic Polyclinic”, “Electronic Hospital” and “Electronic Medical Record” systems will be launched. Medicines included in the guaranteed package will be issued based on an electronic prescription. Regional hospitals will also be connected to the electronic referral system.

The Head of state noted that every death among mothers and newborns should be considered an emergency. Tasks have been set to equip maternity hospitals with modern equipment, improve the health of pregnant women and women in labor, and provide additional training for obstetricians and nurses.

The implementation of previously defined tasks in culture was analyzed. The issues of building a cultural center in each district with a cinema hall, library, and clubs, holding cultural events in the regions, and attracting young people to the arts were discussed.

Tasks have also been set for specializing mahallas in one of the mass sports and organizing regional and national competitions.

Issues of preparation for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be held this year in Paris, were also considered. It was noted that all conditions will be created for athletes to compete for licenses and prepare well for competitions. The importance of their in-depth medical examination and high-quality pharmacological and nutritional support was emphasized.

Responsible persons presented reports on the issues discussed at the meeting.

UzA