24.09.2024

On September 24, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of proposals for the development of the vocational education system and reform of the national qualifications system.

This task was set at a videoconference on social spheres held on February 5 of this year. Over the past period, the effectiveness of the system has been critically studied and additional measures have been developed.

At present, the vocational education system consists of three types of institutions: 333 vocational schools, 227 technical schools and 112 colleges. Due to the differences and lack of interconnection between their curricula, the available capacity of the institutions is used inefficiently.

Therefore, it is proposed to develop a network of technical schools on the basis of these three types of institutions. As per the proposal, 600 technical schools will be created. As a result of optimization, 71 buildings of vacated institutions will be converted into schools, and 42 thousand new student places will be created.

In addition, today colleges operate under various ministries and departments. From now on, a unified state policy in managerial, organizational and methodological aspects will be implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

In order to quickly adapt to the demands of the time, it is planned to expand the academic independence of technical schools. It is envisaged that the terms and duration of training will be determined depending on the complexity of the profession and the level of education of the student.

In order to improve the quality and attractiveness of education, international educational programs will be introduced in technical schools. Initially, the English BTEC program will be introduced as an experiment in 14 technical schools. Graduates will be awarded diplomas recognized in 70 countries, and will also be given the opportunity to enroll in more than 200 foreign universities. Depending on the results, this experience can be gradually applied in other technical schools.

It is also important to shape the admissions process based on employers' requirements. To this end, an electronic platform will be created to which all ministries and industries will be connected. Educational programs of technical schools will be put into practice after agreement with industries, business associations, large employers and associations.

The presentation also addressed issues of reforming the National Qualifications System.

Some work has been done in this direction in recent years, but many problems remain to be solved. Standards have not been developed for more than a thousand working professions. Qualifications for some professions do not correspond to international requirements.

In this regard, the Republican Council for the Development of Professional Qualifications and Knowledge will now be headed by the Prime Minister. 24 new industry councils will be created within the council.

In addition, an Institute for the Development of the National Qualifications System will be created under the Center for Educational Projects. Based on the best practices of developed countries, the Institute will develop a new version of the National Qualifications Framework. The classification of positions and professions will be revised with the inclusion of about 100 modern professions and the exclusion of those that have lost their practical significance.

The Head of State expressed his vision on the issues of equipping technical schools with equipment and tools, training professional workers in line with modern requirements, and increasing the share of practical classes.