Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 21 April, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on measures aimed at improving the quality of school education and enhancing teacher training in Uzbekistan.

As outlined in the “Uzbekistan – 2030” Strategy, educational reform remains one of the nation's top priorities. This year’s State Programme includes a wide range of goals aimed at creating a supportive learning environment and nurturing an educated younger generation.

A key factor in achieving these goals is the qualification level of teachers. Currently, Uzbekistan has 15 public and 61 private higher education institutions focused on pedagogy. However, their research capacity remains low, at only about 40 percent.

Many academic programmes are still heavily focused on social sciences, while there is a clear lack of teacher training in STEM fields. Additionally, 40 percent of students study in distance-learning formats.

In this context, the government plans to reform the Tashkent State Pedagogical University, transforming it into the National Pedagogical University of Uzbekistan. The "Teachers of the Future" project will also be launched.

At the New Uzbekistan University, more than 40 international lecturers and 30 highly qualified returning Uzbek professionals are currently teaching. Student-led projects have already attracted grant funding amounting to 24.3 billion soums. The university's scientific and innovative potential will be tapped for training specialists in fields such as engineering, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and medicine, supported by modern laboratories.

A cutting-edge clinic based on German best practices will also be established at the university to integrate science, education, and practical training.

To ensure an objective assessment of student knowledge, international methodologies are being introduced. This year, 9,000 15-year-old students from 233 schools will take part in testing under the PISA programme.

Currently, around 2,000 schools are operating under high capacity. In 2025, the state budget will fund the creation of 112,000 new student places. With continued demographic growth, the need for new schools is rising. To address this, Uzbekistan plans to attract US$200 million from the Islamic Development Bank to construct 58 modern schools across the country.

An analysis shows that around 80 percent of schoolchildren actively use the internet and social media. Despite ongoing efforts to protect children from harmful content, there is a significant lack of locally created educational and value-driven digital content.

In response, the President instructed the government to strengthen efforts to create a safe information environment for youth, increase the volume of national content, and support talented authors working in this field.