CC BY
0CURRENT STATUS AND TRENDS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN
UZBEKISTAN Wu Jiali
Teacher at the Confucius Institute of Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Samarkand, Republic of Uzbekistan, Master's student of the Russian Language Department, Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Shanghai Foreign Studies University,
Shanghai, China https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11099387
Abstract. The article deals with the current state and trends in the development of foreign language education in Uzbekistan. On August 31, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan proclaimed state independence. Since then, the Uzbek authorities have carried out a number of reforms aimed at strengthening national independence and developing national identity, including in the field of language and education. Over the past 30 years, as a result of the advance of Romanization, the Uzbek language, as the only official language of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has gained absolute importance at the State and public levels, while the number of people who speak Russian has declined sharply. At present, Uzbekistan also attaches great importance to the teaching of foreign languages, among which English, Arabic, Chinese and Korean are very popular.
Keywords: language situation, language policy, language education, latinization, national identity, Uzbekistan.
Annotatsiya. Maqolada O'zbekistonda chet tili ta'limining hozirgi holati va rivojlanish tendensiyalari haqida so'z boradi. 1991-yil 31-avgustda O'zbekiston Respublikasi Oliy Kengashi davlat mustaqilligini e 'lon qildi. O'shandan beri O'zbekiston hukumati milliy mustaqillikni mustahkamlash va milliy o'zlikni rivojlantirishga qaratilgan qator islohotlarni amalga oshirdi, jumladan, til va ta'lim sohasida. Oxirgi 30 yil ichida romanlashtirishning avj olishi natijasida O'zbekiston Respublikasiningyagona rasmiy tili sifatida o'zbek tili davlat va jamoat miqyosida mutlaq ahamiyat kasb etdi, rus tilini biladiganlar soni esa o'sdi. keskin pasayib ketdi. Ayni paytda O'zbekistonda ham chet tillarini o'qitishga katta ahamiyat berilmoqda, ular orasida ingliz, arab, xitoy va koreys tillari juda mashhur.
Kalit so'zlar: til holati, til siyosati, til ta'limi, lotinlashtirish, milliy o'zlik, O 'zbekiston.
Аннотация. В статье рассматривается современное состояние и тенденции развития образования по иностранным языкам в Узбекистане. 31 августа 1991 года постановлением Верховного Совета Республики Узбекистан была провозглашена государственная независимость. С тех пор власти Узбекистана провели ряд реформ, направленных на укрепление национальной независимости и развитие национальной идентичности, в том числе в области языка и образования. За последние 30 лет, в результате продвижения латинизации узбекский язык, как единственный официальный язык Республики Узбекистан, приобрел абсолютное значение на государственном и общественном уровнях, в то время как количество людей, владеющих русским языком, резко сократилось. В настоящее врем в Узбекистане также придается большое значение преподаванию иностранных языков, среди которых очень популярны английский, арабский, китайский и корейский.
Ключевые слова: языковое положение, языковая политика, языковое образование, латинизация, национальная идентичность, Узбекистан.
The current linguistic picture of Uzbek society could not have been formed without the country's language education policy. According to the State Language Act of 1989, "Article 5: Uzbekistan shall ensure the establishment of pre-school educational establishments in the State language and the use of the national language in places with a large number of ethnic minorities". Article 6: The inhabitants of the Republic of Uzbekistan have the right to choose freely the language of instruction. Uzbekistan shall ensure the provision of general, vocational, technical, specialized secondary and higher education in the State language and in other languages". In general, Uzbek is still the first language of education for citizens. Currently, instruction in secondary schools in Uzbekistan is given in seven languages: Uzbek, Russian, Karakalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Turkmen. The First Deputy Minister of National Education of Uzbekistan, Usmana Sharifkhodjaev, stated in an interview in 2021 that nearly 10% of secondary schools in Uzbekistan use Russian for instruction. This trend has not changed significantly in recent years. Russian is almost exclusively spoken in private schools in Tashkent, and it is one of the compulsory subjects in many Uzbek-language schools.
Although the Uzbek authorities have introduced a number of policies to try to artificially reduce the influence of the Russian language, it is still widely used in a number of fields, influenced by trade, tourism, and migration, and there is close cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan in the field of education. More than ten branches of Russian universities have opened in Uzbekistan. In Tashkent, there are branches of the Moscow State University, the Moscow Institute of International Relations and other Russian universities, and in Djizak there is a branch of the Kazan Federal University.
With the trend of globalization, the authorities in Uzbekistan also attach great importance to the study of foreign languages. English, Korean, Arabic, Chinese and other foreign languages are very popular in the country, and in 2012 the Government issued a document entitled "Measures to improve the system of learning foreign languages". As part of the implementation of the "Education" Act and the State programme for the training of human resources, a comprehensive system of foreign-language instruction has been set up with the aim of creating a harmoniously developed, highly educated and modern-minded younger generation and further integrating the Republic into the international community.
Over the years of independence, 51,700 foreign language teachers have been trained, multimedia teaching materials in English, German and French have been produced for grades 5-9 in secondary schools, electronic resources have been made available for the study of English in elementary school, and more than 5,000 language laboratories have been set up and are being equipped in secondary schools, vocational colleges and academic institutions. The Order stipulates that "from the beginning of the academic year 2013/2014: starting with the first grade of general education schools, the study of foreign languages, primarily English, in the form of games and conversation classes, will be conducted in stages throughout the country, and the mastery of the alphabet, reading and grammar will begin in the second grade", which demonstrates the importance attached by the Uzbek authorities to the study of the English language. In addition, the study of foreign languages is included as one of the reference criteria for admission to higher education institutions, and "the National Examination Center, together with the relevant ministries and departments, will submit to the Cabinet of Ministers, within two months, a proposal on the inclusion of foreign languages in the entrance exams to all higher education institutions starting from the 2015/2016 academic year."
In fact, there is a great deal of enthusiasm for English language learning in Uzbek society for very practical reasons. Courses for IELTS and TOEFL are everywhere, and students put a lot of effort into learning English. If you want to study abroad, mastering the country's language is essential. What's more, passing the IELTS can help high school students get into college. At the same time, mastering English means having a chance to get a better job and achieve a higher salary. Therefore, learning English is undoubtedly a plus for locals.
Looking behind the scenes, the learning of various foreign languages in Uzbekistan also provides a glimpse of the countries gaming on this side. U.S.-U.S. relations interaction is also one of the factors that stimulate the learning of English in the country. "In May 2018, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev visited the United States and adopted a joint statement, 'Opening a New Era of Strategic Partnership,' in which the two sides said that relations between the two countries had entered a new era of a new type of strategic partnership and that there had been a clear breakthrough in bilateral relations. The United States increased its financial assistance to Ukraine from $10.1 million in 2016 to $28.1 million in 2018." In January 2020, the U.S. issued its Central Asia Policy 2019-2025 The strategy states, "The core U.S. strategic interest in the region is a more stable and prosperous Central Asia that is free to pursue its political, economic, and security interests on its own terms and with a diverse set of partners, connected to global markets and open to international investment, with strong democratic institutions, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. "U.S. investment in Uzbekistan has created local jobs and has made direct investments in multiple educational and professional exchanges.
Under China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative, cooperation between China and Uzbekistan is growing, and in recent years there has been a "Chinese language boom" in Uzbekistan. China has been Uzbekistan's top trading partner for five consecutive years from 2016 to 2020, and the frequent trade exchanges between China and Uzbekistan have made more and more Uzbeks see the prospect of learning the Chinese language.20 In February 2024, the government of Uzbekistan enacted "Additional Measures on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and Modern Specializations to Students of General Secondary Education Institutions," stating that "By the end of 2024, qualified specialists in English, Chinese, Korean, German, French, Japanese and English will be attracted in order to improve the effectiveness of foreign language teaching in general secondary educational institutions". Chinese has become a second foreign language in many secondary schools, and it is also taught as a major foreign language in higher education institutions.
It is worth mentioning that in the course of humanistic exchanges between China and Uzbekistan, mention must be made of the Confucius Institutes, which, as a bridge for language learning and cultural exchange, provide the Uzbek people with valuable opportunities and a wealth of resources for learning the Chinese language. To date, there are two Confucius Institutes in Uzbekistan, one in Tashkent and the other in Samarkand.
In recent years, more and more Uzbek students have chosen to study in China, and studying in China has become a new option for local young people. (One of the most popular countries to study in.) The Chinese government has set up a variety of scholarships to subsidize Uzbeks to complete their studies in China. Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Education show that as of the end of July 2019, 6,500 Uzbek students were studying in Chinese universities. This number is still on the rise. The booming China-Uzbekistan relations need more outstanding talents who are proficient in Chinese and Uzbek languages and cultures, and there is a bright future for educational cooperation between the two countries.
As can be seen, for more than three decades since the country's independence, Uzbekistan has been actively reforming and trying to explore its own path of development. Language is an important tool for civil communication and social development, as well as an important vehicle for the expression of national and ethnic identity. At present, Uzbek is undoubtedly the sole national language of Uzbekistan, and its status is unquestionable. For the time being, Russian continues to occupy an important place in Uzbek society, particularly in the areas of culture, science, education, trade and commerce, and is widely used. As a former member of the Soviet Union, the Government of Uzbekistan has made and continues to make efforts to remove the influence of the Russian language. Due to historical and practical reasons, a crude restriction of the use of the Russian language will inevitably affect the ease of life of the population, especially the older generation, and on the other hand, will not be conducive to the younger generation's access to more new opportunities. Therefore, a better approach for the authorities might be to avoid turning language reform into a hidden danger of increasing nationalistic tendencies in society and intensifying inter-ethnic conflicts, and instead to think about how to enhance the attractiveness of the Uzbek language and encourage citizens to learn and use their mother tongue. After all, as an independent and sovereign state, the development of its own language is imperative.
Young people are the future and hope for the country's development. While enhancing the subjectivity of the mother tongue, learning a foreign language actually means embracing the wider world and more opportunities for development. Whether it is the revival of the Russian language, the avid study of English, or the shift to Chinese. All these reflect the impact of a country's economy on its cultural soft power. The pragmatic language education policy of the Uzbek authorities can, on the one hand, promote humanistic exchanges with these countries, enrich people's lives, raise their educational level, and give them the opportunity to publicize and develop the Uzbek language; on the other hand, it can also promote employment, attract foreign investment, and enhance the development of the country's economy.
REFERENCES
1. Закон Республики Узбекистан, от 21.10.1989 г. № 3561-XI, [Электронный ресурс] https://lex.uz/docs/108915
2. Языковая политика стран СНГ: положение русского языка (на примере Узбекистана), https://russiancouncil.ru/blogs/laiamp/yazykovaya-politika-stran-sng-polozhenie-russkogo-yazyka-na-primere-uz/
3. Минобразования: русскоязычных школ в Узбекистане не стало меньше, https://uz.sputniknews.ru/20211019/minobrazovaniya-russkoyazychnyx-shkol-v-uzbekistane-ne-stalo-menshe-20970639.html
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