Education in Uzbekistan/Preface

Education cannot be stereotypically attributed to an area of departmental or sectoral policy, but should be approached as a nationwide, strategically important issue. The initial significance of education for socio-economic development is defined at the governmental level: the system of lifelong education in Uzbekistan has all the conditions for the renovation of both traditional and innovative forms of education, developing life-long learning activities and becoming an integral part of everyday human life. Let us consider the stages of lifelong learning, established in Uzbekistan.

In the era of globalization, education becomes an essential component of economic development and the accumulation of national wealth. The high spiritual level of the population can organically create a legal culture, the ability of people to live and work in a democratic state, being aware of their rights and freedoms, and being able to use them in the interests of individuals, state and society. The state is interested in the development of the intellectual and spiritual potential of the country: about 35% of Uzbekistan’s population is aged 16 and more than 62% is under the age of 30. The government expenditures on education are considered to be the most important investment in the growth of national wealth: Uzbekistan annually spends 10-12% of GDP and 35% of the costs of the state budget on the development and reforming of the education system. The prestige of the pedagogical professions is increasing, and thus teachers’ salaries also increase, with the growth in wages of teachers and professors over the past 10 years being 1.5 times the average rate of wage increases in other sectors of the economy. At the heart of educational reform is the establishment of a sense of prestige of knowledge, education and high intelligence in society. Only people who are aware of the need for harmony in national and universal values and have the latest knowledge and intellectual capabilities as well as advanced technologies can achieve the strategic goals of development.