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10012. Nurmanov A.T., Turgunov Y.I. On the possibilities of using modern information and communication technologies in improving// Science-and-world.-2020.-№-7-(83).-P.52-54.
HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW UZBEKISTAN AT IMPORTANT
STAGES OF REFORM: ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES AND
SOLUTIONS
Kayumova K.N., Tolipov F.S., Siyaeva G. A.
Abstract: The education system has its significant role in the socioeconomic development of any country. Because the role of education is important in educating young people who are spiritually mature, independent-minded, loyal to their homeland, have a strong life position, increase their place in the life of the state and society. Therefore, in the developed countries of the world, as in all areas, special attention is paid to the education of young people, raising their level of knowledge, mental and spiritual education. In this regard, consistent reforms are being carried out in the new Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan, as a state in Central Asia, has its own place and potential. The country is home to more than 130 nationalities and 16 different religious denominations. Uzbekistan, which broke away from the former Soviet Union in 1991, has set its own path of independent development over the past 30 years. It has made great strides in all areas, and the state has followed and developed an alternative path of its own development. The last 5 years have gone down in history as a new era of Uzbekistan, where systemic reforms and innovations have been carried out in all areas. At the same time, the achievements and solutions to the problems in the field of higher education are also noteworthy.
Keywords: New Uzbekistan, higher education, reform, achievement, problem, university, institute, branch, foreign, decree, decision, student, strategy, ministry.
ВЫСШЕЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В НОВОМ УЗБЕКИСТАНЕ НА ВАЖНЫХ ЭТАПАХ РЕФОРМ: ДОСТИЖЕНИЯ, ПРОБЛЕМЫ И РЕШЕНИЯ
Каюмова К.Н., Толипов Ф.С., Сияева Г. А.
Аннотация: Система образования играет важную роль в социально-экономическом развитии любой страны, потому что роль образования важна в воспитании духовно зрелых, самостоятельных, преданных своей Родине молодых людей, обладающих сильной жизненной позицией. В развитых
странах мира особое внимание уделяется образованию молодежи, повышению ее уровня знаний, умственному и духовному воспитанию. В связи с этим, в новом Узбекистане проводятся последовательные реформы.
Узбекистан, как государство в Центральной Азии, имеет свое собственное место и потенциал. В стране проживает более 130 национальностей и 16 различных религиозных конфессий. Узбекистан, который отделился от бывшего Советского Союза в 1991 году, за последние 30 лет выбрал свой собственный путь независимого развития. Страна добилась больших успехов во всех областях, и государство последовало и разработало альтернативный путь своего собственного развития. Последние 5 лет вошли в историю как новая эра Узбекистана, где во всех сферах были проведены системные реформы и инновации. В то же время, заслуживают внимания достижения и решения проблем в области высшего образования.
Ключевые слова: новый Узбекистан, высшее образование, реформа, достижение, проблема, университет, институт, филиал, иностранный, указ, решение, студент, стратегия, министерство.
In recent years, a phrase new Uzbek has entered the social life of the Uzbek state. A new era for a state with 30 years of independent development began in 2017, or rather after the election of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as the head of state. The past 5 years of development have marked a turning point in the education system, as well as in all areas. These rapid reforms have also begun to find expression in the higher education system.
Uzbekistan, as a state in Central Asia, has its own place and potential. The country is home to more than 130 nationalities and 16 different religious denominations [1]. Uzbekistan has made great strides in all areas, and the state has followed and developed an alternative path of its own development.
In today's era of globalization, the issue of reforming social life in accordance with world standards, especially the construction of a just, humane, democratic and legal society in line with universal values, is urgent. It is not a secret that the education system has a special place in this. Since 2017, a new era has begun in the formation of a national education system in line with universal values in the new Uzbekistan. In particular, the further improvement of the higher education system, the establishment of education that meets international standards, the training of qualified personnel, the development of science has become one of the important issues. In this regard, at a meeting with leading scientists of the republic the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed: "It is difficult to imagine the development of our country and society at the level of modern requirements without science. Fundamental research plays an important role in the development of science. It is through them that new knowledge is acquired and theories are formed, and a solid foundation is laid for future applied research and innovation".
In other words, on the initiative of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attention has been paid to science in Uzbekistan on the basis of a new concept.
The Decree "On the Strategy of further development of the Republic of Uzbekistan" adopted on February 7, 2017, provides for the improvement of science and the system of continuing education, increasing the capacity of quality educational services, targeted measures have been taken to strengthen the material and technical base of educational institutions by equipping them with computer equipment and teaching aids. Effective mechanisms have been formed to stimulate research and innovation activities and to put scientific and innovative achievements into practice. Raising the level of science to the level of modern requirements, training educated personnel to meet modern requirements and raising the educational potential of Uzbekistan are reflected in the strategy [2].
Today, radical reforms and innovations in the field of education play an important role in the new Uzbekistan. These views are reflected in the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 20, 2017 "On measures to further develop the system of higher education". The resolution stressed the importance of educating young people in the spiritual and ideological spirit in today's fast-changing, violent times. In particular, it reads: "Carrying out large-scale enlightenment and educational work to increase the spiritual and moral content of higher education, to instill in students a spirit of loyalty to the ideas of independence, high spirituality and national traditions of humanity, to strengthen their immunity and critical thinking against foreign ideas and ideologies". It includes the establishment of promising partnerships by each higher education institution with leading research and educational institutions abroad, the use of the most modern pedagogical technologies in the educational process based on international educational standards, wide introduction of educational programs and teaching materials, involvement of highly qualified foreign teachers and scientists in scientific and pedagogical activities.
It is important that in the new Uzbekistan it is planned to strengthen the material and technical base of higher education institutions, increase their scientific and methodological capacity, and further develop scientific research in the higher education system. Significant attention was paid to strengthening the integration of higher education institutions with academic science, increasing the effectiveness of scientific activities of the teaching staff, the wide involvement of talented students in scientific activities. In this regard, extensive work has been done at all levels of the education system, including the modernization of higher and secondary special education, the development of science, the introduction of modern forms and technologies of teaching. In particular, a number of decrees and resolutions have been adopted to radically improve the system of higher and secondary special, vocational education, further increase the efficiency of public administration in the
field, organize the training of highly qualified specialists to ensure the quality of institutions in the system.
But along with the achievements in the field over the years, a number of challenges have been identified. Problems in the field of higher education are particularly evident in the following:
First, the lack of optimization of entrance exams to higher education institutions has complicated the process of admission to higher education institutions, preventing young people from entering universities with genuine knowledge and potential;
Second, for many years, higher education standards have not been perfected on the basis of foreign experience, the number of non-specialty subjects has increased as a result of the reduction in the number of subjects taught and the increase in the number of subjects taught, the requirements made it somewhat difficult for them to acquire a full knowledge of their specialties;
Third, the material and technical base of higher education has not been sufficiently strengthened, no attention has been paid to the opening of new higher education institutions, and the current and capital repairs of higher education institutions have not been completed;
Fourth, there have been delays in the effective use of interactive methods and the results of innovative technologies in the educational process. The fact that students are taught on the basis of traditional education, as a result of which they are accustomed to acquire only ready-made knowledge, has led to an increase in red tape, neglect of the credit-module system of education.
Fifth, according to the analysis, the reforms carried out in the higher education system in the past did not have a deep scientific and conceptual basis in most places, It was found that the 1997 law "On Education" was outdated, did not meet modern requirements, and had some shortcomings in the implementation of the ideas put forward in its content. Therefore, on September 23, 2020, the new Law of Uzbekistan "On Education" was adopted. According to the law, the types of education are defined as follows:
• preschool education and upbringing;
• general secondary and secondary special education;
• professional training;
• higher education;
• postgraduate education;
• retraining and professional development of cadres;
• extracurricular education.
However, in today's period of rapid changes in the country, the period itself requires the reform of higher education, improving its material and technical base, further enhancing the quality of education, increasing the level of enrollment in higher education.
If we look at the numbers, according to the State Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan, in the period up to 2017, only 163 out of every 1,000 people aged 25 and older in the country had higher education. Only 12% of the country's population had higher education relative to the total population. If we compare this figure with the Central Asian republics, we see that the figure is much lower. For example, if we take into account that in 2017 Kazakhstan had a population of more than 17 million, there were 122 universities with more than 496,000 students. Kyrgyzstan has a population of more than 7 million and 56 universities in the country with more than 230,000 students. In Uzbekistan, in 2017, for more than 32 million people, there were only 81 higher education institutions, 15 regional branches, and 7 branches of foreign universities. By the end of 2016, the total number of students was 260,905 [3,4]. Based on the data of that period, Z. Saipov draws attention to the interesting information, citing infographics of the coverage of the population of Central Asia and Afghanistan with higher education. According to it, in terms of higher education coverage, Kazakhstan accounted for 54%, Kyrgyzstan for 41%, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan for 10%, and Turkmenistan for 8%.
It goes without saying that at that time these figures showed that the level of higher education coverage was much lower than in the Central Asian republics. In other words, the level of higher education in Uzbekistan was lower than the general population. This created a kind of monopoly in higher education, led to an increase in corruption, and led to the formation of a particularly unorganized youth stratum. However, the only way to solve the problem of unorganized youth is to involve them in education and employment. Only when young people have a specialty will they be engaged in the necessary training, and new jobs will be created. According to sociological surveys and research conducted among young people on this topic, those who fall into the ranks of unorganized youth without being able to study or get a job are more common among 18-27 year old (data were obtained as a result of sociological surveys conducted in the mahallas of Tashkent).
Therefore, in the new Uzbekistan, consistent reforms have been launched to radically reform higher education, increase the number and quality of higher education institutions, optimize admission processes, eliminate any bureaucratic barriers, eliminate monopolies in the field, and eliminate corruption in the system. In particular, new universities and institutes, branches of foreign higher education institutions have been opened, new directions and faculties have been established. Joint educational programs have been developed, agreements have been signed with universities and institutes of developed countries, and special attention has
been paid to the training and professional development of professors and teachers abroad. If we look at the numbers, in the new Uzbekistan by 2017 at the expense of newly established institutes and branches their number increased to 81, regional branches to 15, branches of foreign universities to 7 [5].
By the end of 2019, there were 18.5 million secondary and higher education personnel in the country. In the last 5 years, a number of Decrees and Resolutions have been adopted to further reform the higher education system. In particular, the Presidential Decree "On admission to higher education institutions of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the 2018-2019 academic year" provides for the opening of correspondence and evening education, for which the total quota is set at 30%. One of the major reforms was the introduction of 3-year education in some areas of the bachelor's degree and 1 year of education in some areas of the master's degree. As a result of the reforms, an 11-year system of general secondary education was introduced, and the content of vocational education was changed. In addition, more than 5,000 teachers with secondary special education have the opportunity to receive higher education in special correspondence departments established in 15 higher education institutions [6].
In 2018, cooperation with prestigious foreign higher education institutions was expanded. In 2019, practical measures were taken to open faculties and branches with universities in Russia, South Korea, the United States, Germany and Italy. Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to continue their studies abroad have been expanded. Because the more highly educated, highly qualified professionals in the society, the faster and more efficient the development will be. For example, in 2018, a total of 13 new higher education institutions will operate in the country, including the International University of "Silk Road" Tourism in Samarkand, the Almalyk branch of the "National Technological Research" University of the Russian Federal State Autonomous University, and the Puchon University of South Korea in Tashkent. began [7].
Over the past historical period, based on the needs of the real sector of the economy and the social sphere, new, including leading foreign higher education institutions have been established in the regions. Modern stages of education have been introduced, and a system of training in high-demand bachelor's and master's specialties has been set up. As a result, by 2020, 114 higher education institutions in Uzbekistan, including 93 local and 21 foreign higher education institutions and their branches, 6 new higher education institutions, 17 branches and 14 branches of foreign higher education institutions were established. Based on the proposals of personnel customers, 329 areas of education and 582 master's specialties were included in the classification of areas and specialties of higher education. Also, in the 2019/2020 academic year, part-time education was introduced in 59 higher education institutions, and evening education was introduced in 10 higher education institutions. As a result, the number of students studying in higher
education institutions in the country amounted to 410 thousand in the bachelor's degree and 13 thousand in the master's degree, which has increased 1.7 times over the past three years.
In addition, more than a dozen local higher education institutions and their branches have been established. For example, Chirchik State Pedagogical Institute of Tashkent region, Almalyk branch of Tashkent State Technical University, Termez branch of Tashkent State Technical University, Termez branch of Tashkent State Pedagogical University, Denau branch of Termez State University, Termez branch of Tashkent Medical Academy, Termez branch of Tashkent State Agrarian University, Uzbekistan Fergana regional branch of the State Institute of Arts and Culture. Among them is a branch of the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys in Almalyk and Webster University in Tashkent. Due to the demand and needs in the real sector of the economy, part-time and evening departments have been opened in higher education institutions. In addition, the Samarkand Institute of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Journalism and Mass Communications were established [8]. These are of great importance in expanding the scope of higher education, increasing the number of graduates.
By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated October 8, 2019, the "Concept of Developing the Higher Education System of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030" was adopted. The priorities of the systemic reform of higher education in this Concept are to raise the process of training highly qualified personnel with modern knowledge and high moral and ethical qualities to a qualitatively new level, modernization of higher education, strategic tasks for the development of the social sphere and the economy based on advanced educational technologies have been identified.
These tasks are aimed at overcoming the existing problems in the industry, the organization of the industry at the level of modern standards. In particular, on the basis of the development of public-private partnership in higher education, the organization of public and non-governmental higher education institutions in the regions, it is planned to increase the coverage of higher education by 50% by 2030. However, today the demand for reforms, life itself requires the rapid development of higher education. Therefore, the admission quota in Uzbekistan has been tripled. Now the coverage of graduates with higher education has increased from 9% in 2016 to 28% in 2021. It is planned to increase this figure to 50-60% in the near future. Supporting the population in need of social protection, especially young people, is a constant focus. For this purpose, in 2021, 3,155 quotas for young people with disabilities, 1,580 for graduates of orphanages and children's towns, and 2,000 additional quotas for women from low-income families were allocated as state grants.
Today's rapid changes require serious attention to the development of education on a modern basis, the orientation of young people to the profession, the training of a new generation. However, if we look at the world's best practices, we see that quality education cannot be free, and we are convinced that advanced higher education institutions are gradually moving towards self-financing. Today, the contractual form of education in higher education institutions financed from the state budget, including on the basis of increased fees, covers an average of 68% of the costs of higher education institutions, while the remaining costs are covered by the state budget.
Another peculiarity of the higher education system of Uzbekistan is that the proceeds from the payment-contract were used to pay scholarships to students studying on a contract basis, to provide them with financial assistance in the field of social protection, to strengthen the material and technical base of higher education institutions. Part of it will be spent on the provision of modern teaching, research and laboratory equipment and teaching aids, as well as other costs necessary to ensure the operation of the higher education institution. Expenditure of contractual forms of education in higher education institutions, including on a contractual basis, is open and transparent and is posted on the websites of higher education institutions and on the website of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education on a monthly basis.
Importantly, the average amount of scholarships for students of higher education institutions is determined by the distribution of available funds among students. This does not mean that there is no differentiated scholarship, there will no longer be any incentives for students. An additional percentage is added to the scholarships of students who have achieved good results in the system of higher education of the Republic, active in public affairs. Attendance is also an important criterion, and students will be required to attend classes on a mandatory basis in order to earn a credit module score. In all higher education institutions of the country, the participation of students in voluntary or voluntary-compulsory classes has not yet improved.
Because in today's era of popular cultural threats and globalization, the country's rapid reforms make it necessary to establish a system of training independent-minded personnel who are able to take responsibility for the country's future and make a worthy contribution to the country's development. The country's population and labor resources are growing rapidly.
Because Uzbekistan is the most populous republic in Central Asia (more than 60% of the region's population). It has the third largest population among the CIS countries (after Russia and Ukraine). Uzbekistan is a country of young people. The total proportion of children, adolescents and young people is about 70%, i.e. more than 2/3 of the republic's population, i.e. 32% of the country's population, or 10
million young people under the age of 30 [9]. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the level and quality of higher education by attracting them to study, to ensure their employment, to train educated personnel with spiritual and moral qualities.
In this regard, the new Development Strategy of Uzbekistan for 2022-2026, adopted on January 28, 2022, sets specific tasks to improve the quality of education. According to it, in 2022:
a) Exemption from income tax of up to 3 million soums per month for parents sending their children to non-governmental preschools and schools from April 1, 2022;
b) In order to bring the secondary education system in line with modern requirements, 605 billion soums will be allocated from the state budget for the implementation of the program of updating textbooks in secondary schools. In the priority direction of the strategy "Fair social policy, development of human capital" to create opportunities for every citizen to study in a specific profession at public expense, It is planned to double the scope of vocational training, to train a total of 1 million unemployed people in vocational training and to increase the participation of non-governmental educational institutions in this process to 30%. It envisages the full transfer of the issues of systematic vocational training to the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations, doubling the scope of vocational training, vocational training of a total of 1 million unemployed people.
In accordance with the program "Digital Uzbekistan - 2030", the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education has been tasked to improve the state youth policy. Most importantly, the program identified the following tasks:
Consistent increase of youth employment and real incomes, development of education and science, improvement of state youth policy, increase of family responsibility for raising children, organization of mobile receptions of mature and responsible specialists to ensure the interests of youth and minors;
Strengthening the ideological immunity of students, meeting the intellectual and spiritual needs of young people, educating a highly educated and intellectually developed generation, raising their spirituality and culture;
Development of national content, education in the state language, creation and promotion of modern information resources, multimedia products in accordance with the needs of young people, organization of national games for mobile Internet users, which serve to further educate young people, increase their intellectual potential and social activism;
Raising the pedagogical culture of parents, increasing the duties and responsibilities of raising children, educating young people with strong ideological immunity, children from troubled families, unorganized youth, unemployed, increase parental responsibility in controlling the behavior of young people
exposed to "popular culture", organize activities to prevent smoking, alcohol consumption and other disorders;
Measures to develop and implement a program of measures to combat religious extremism and missionary activity, to ensure interethnic and interfaith harmony.
At the current stage of development, by 2030, at least 10 higher education institutions in the country will be included in the list of the top 1,000 higher education institutions in the ranking of internationally recognized organizations, including, Inclusion of the National University of Uzbekistan and Samarkand State University in the list of top 500 higher education institutions, including the development of an action plan for the introduction of modern mechanisms of state support for these higher education institutions [7].
At the same time, there are a number of unresolved issues in the field, which, in our opinion, are reflected in the following:
- The content of educational programs on the organization of the educational process on the basis of modern technologies and the pace of their updating today do not fully meet the changing needs of the developing economy and the labor market;
- In an environment where digital technologies and distance learning opportunities are expanding around the world, the country is facing challenges in transitioning to distance and online learning. There is no systematic training of teachers in this area. This is due to the quality of teaching, its organization, as well as problems and difficulties with the communication system in the regions;
- Improving the material and technical base of higher education, the organization of the educational process, the integration of software into the content of education, the opening of modern training laboratories, meeting the requirements with a new generation of necessary textbooks, and manuals remain one of the most important issues;
- These include the employment of graduates, the creation of adequate conditions for them to find their place in the labor market, the support of gifted students to encourage gifted and active students.
Another important change in the field of education and science of the new Uzbekistan was the issue of reforming academic science in Uzbekistan on the basis of modern requirements. According to it, the system of the Republican Academy of Sciences has been improved, the material and technical base of the Academy has been strengthened, and a number of research institutes and centers have been restored. After a long break, the Academy of Sciences was re-elected, and talented scientists, who became famous in our country and internationally for their scientific work, were awarded the title of Academician [7].
In this regard, a number of organizational measures and practical work have been done in recent years. Among them are the measures taken to increase the role of academic science in society, the further development of scientific research and innovative scientific activity. An important event was the adoption on December 29, 2017 of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On approval of full members of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan". In accordance with the decree, the tasks of updating its composition with scientists who have thoroughly mastered modern science and technology, have advanced scientific and life experience, and have rendered special services in various fields of science have been identified.
If we look at our recent history, the last election for full membership of the Academy of Sciences was held in 1995. As of December 2017, there were only 63 full members left in the academy [7]. As a result of the revision of the industry, 9 research institutions in the country were returned to the Academy of Sciences, a number of scientific organizations were reorganized, 3 departments of the Academy of Sciences and the Navoi branch were established, the Public Council on Modern History of Uzbekistan was established [10]. In 2018, after a long hiatus of 22 years, the most eligible scholars were selected on a competitive basis for academic approval. 32 new full members of the Academy of Sciences have been approved on the recommendation of full members who are active in the development of science, education, culture and arts, sports [7].
The "Comprehensive Program of Measures to Strengthen the Infrastructure of Research Institutions and Develop Innovative Activities for 2017-2021" was adopted and systematic work was carried out in this area. Stimulation of research and innovation activities as the most important directions of development of science and education in the Action Strategy for the five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2017-2021, serious attention was paid to the creation of effective mechanisms for the implementation of scientific and innovative achievements, the establishment of specialized scientific and experimental laboratories, high technology centers and technology parks at universities and research institutes.
In conclusion, the Decree "On the Development Strategy of the new Uzbekistan for 2022 - 2026" states that Goal 51 "Broad introduction of innovations in the economy, the development of cooperation between industrial enterprises and scientific institutions" confirms the importance of this area at the national level. In accordance with the development strategy, the implementation of 195 projects worth 165.9 billion soums, including the development of innovative products that are up to 50% cheaper than existing analogues and create 2-3 times higher value-added than the cost of raw materials. functions were approved [10]. Organization of fee-grant education in postgraduate education institutions, establishment of the International Agricultural University in cooperation with prestigious international
research centers and higher education institutions. Tasks to deepen the integration of science and practice in the agricultural sector have been identified.
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