Education in Uzbekistan/Informal Education in Uzbekistan

In 1997, Uzbekistan enacted a Law on Education that would reform the country’s educational framework, and set a realistic framework for lifelong learning that would ensure continuous education for the population. National education is now run through two ministries, the Ministry of Public Education, and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education, which deals exclusively with professional and higher education. The Ministry of Public Education is responsible for delivering education through three mechanisms:

Formal education: This sector provides formal schooling, from pre-school to advanced further education. In Uzbekistan there are currently more than ten thousand general secondary schools, 63 higher education and 539 technical vocational institutions. The formal education sector also includes the assessment and awarding of all state-accredited qualifications. Through the formal education sector, Uzbekistan has already reached its Millennium Development Goal for universal access to primary education, and reports literacy rates of nearly 100 per cent.

Non-formal learning and education: Through educational establishments that are not connected with formal adult education, non-formal education provides retraining or upgrading of vocational skills. This may include a wide range of levels from training in basic literacy, to advanced application of ICT in enterprising. The role of non-formal learning may be simply conceptualised as learning to apply literacy and contents of formal education to the development of vocational skills that may assist in personal development. Informal learning: Uzbekistan has identified informal learning as the mechanism in which people continuously learn under their own initiative. This includes personal study assisted by national publications as well as indirectly educational program broadcast and distributed by the mass-media. Amidst the development of a knowledge and information society, non-formal and informal learning opportunities are increasingly in demand in Uzbekistan, as many people from traditional disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds are beginning to understand the benefits of continuous education for the development of themselves, their families and their communities. In 1999, the establishment of Community Learning Centers began, with an aim to satisfy these demands.