On December 19, a meeting devoted to the analysis of reforms
implemented in the system of preschool education and tasks for the
future was held under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic
of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Preschool education is the primary and most important link in the
education system. Formation of a healthy gene pool and qualified
personnel begins with this.
However, up to now, this system has lagged behind in development. Over
the past 20 years, the number of state preschool education institutions
has decreased by 45 percent. As a result, only 33 percent of preschool
children were covered by kindergartens. In Denmark, this figure is 99,
in Japan – 97, in South Korea – 95 percent.
Educational programs on socio-personal, emotional, speech,
mathematical, physical-psychological and creative development of
children were not introduced in preschool education institutions.
In general, kindergartens have become institutions in which children are looked after while their parents are at work.
The President of our country Shavkat Mirziyoyev pays special attention
to this sphere, which has an important place in ensuring the future of
the country and its development. During the trips to the regions, the
Head of our state personally gets acquainted with activities of
preschool education institutions. Several meetings were held on
development of this sphere under his chairmanship.
Current tasks and priority areas facing the sphere are determined in
the Decree of the Head of our state “On measures of radically improving
the management of preschool education system” of September 30 this year.
The Ministry of Preschool Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan was
organized on the same day by a resolution of the President.
Targets were set before the new ministry on expanding the network of
state and non-state institutions of preschool education, strengthening
their material and technical base, providing with qualified pedagogical
staff, increasing the coverage of children with kindergartens, radically
improving the quality of preparing children for school through the
introduction of modern educational programs and technologies into the
educational process.
A corresponding state program has been adopted in this direction,
large-scale activity is carried out within its framework. Territorial
administrations and district (city) departments of the ministry have
been organized, great attention is paid to improving the situation at
places, the construction of new kindergartens, including the expansion
of the network of non-state kindergartens.
Activity that is being carried out in the sphere was discussed at the meeting.
The President of our country analyzed the state of affairs in the
system of preschool education in the context of the regions, pointed out
the problems and shortcomings pending solution. In particular,
incompleteness of preschool education institutions and inadequate staff
potential were noted. More than 57 thousand specialists are working in
the sphere, 85 percent of which are staff with secondary special
education, which does not allow to ensure the proper level of
preparation of children for school.
The fact that preschool education institutions were not provided with
children’s imaginative literature for years, parents lost trust in
kindergartens, many problems accumulated in the system over the years,
were criticized.
At the same time, it was noted that many khokimiyats at places did not
create necessary conditions for preschool education institutions, some
kindergarten buildings are empty and are not used effectively. The
reports of responsible heads regarding the mentioned cases were heard.
A number of strategic tasks have been identified for addressing
shortcomings that were noted at the meeting, which are to be implemented
in the first half of 2018.
Firstly, the need for accelerated continuation of construction and
reconstruction of kindergartens on the basis of the program for
2017-2021 was noted.
Instructions were given on allocating 771 billion sums for
construction and reconstruction activities in 427 kindergartens
(including construction of 14 new kindergartens, reconstruction of 256,
overhaul of 157 kindergartens) in 2018.
It was noted that at the same time it is necessary to revise the
projects of kindergarten buildings for 50, 100 and 150 places in a short
time, using modern architectural solutions, taking into account the
local climate, providing creation of conditions for maintaining optimal
temperatures in winter and summer, hygiene, nutrition, classes, games
and sleep of children, separate accommodation of a dining room, as well
as to take into account requirements on organization of educational
process when building new buildings.
Secondly, the need for active organization of preschool institutions
of a new type on the basis of public-private partnership was noted.
Taking into account the fact that finance is the most important problem
in this issue, commercial banks are assigned to each region for
providing all-round assistance and allocation of necessary credit
resources to non-state preschool institutions.
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Council of
Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, khokimiyats of the regions
and the city of Tashkent were instructed to develop regional programs
on sharply increasing the coverage of children with preschool education,
while organizing 10-15 new preschool institutions in each district and
city, including on the basis of public-private partnership.
It was noted that large privileges were granted to private
kindergartens, in particular, starting from January 1, 2018, half of
private kindergartens’ expenditures on natural gas and electric power
will be covered from the State budget within 5 years. This will prevent
the growth of payments for services of kindergartens.
Thirdly, it was noted that special attention must be paid to ensuring
healthy nutrition of children in kindergartens and the quality of
delivered products. Taking this into account, instructions were given on
taking measures for increasing the allocation of funds for these
purposes.
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the
regional khokimiyats were instructed to fix 10-15 farmers for every
preschool education institution from 2018 in order to provide
kindergartens with qualitative food at affordable prices.
The task was set on organizing a state enterprise for the delivery of
ready-made qualitative hot meals to kindergartens and developing a
mechanism of organizing a catering service. Fourthly, the need of
improving the quality of upbringing and educating children, medical care
in kindergartens, including the development in 2018 of standards for
equipping pre-school education institutions with methodical aids,
didactic games, toys, equipment and other technical means, based on the
experience of South Korea, was emphasized.
The need for improving the state standards of preschool education,
educational programs on the basis of advanced foreign experience,
including on teaching children to read and write in a play form was
noted.
Main attention was paid to issues of training and advanced training of
teachers and educators, instruction was given on improvement of
activities of the Institute for retraining and advanced training of
managers and specialists of preschool education institutions under the
Ministry of Preschool Education.
The need to continuously improve the potential of managers and
teachers in the sphere by organizing modern courses in retraining and
advanced training in this institution, as well as developing advanced
pedagogical techniques, creating a new generation of educational and
methodological literature, was noted.
Instructions were given on setting quotas for admission to
institutions on training personnel for preschool education on the basis
of real needs and reviewing the requirements for teachers of preschool
education.
Fifthly, the task was set on attracting foreign investments to the
improvement of preschool education. In particular, the need to develop a
draft concept on attracting a grant at the amount of 10 million dollars
in 2019-2022 and 50 million dollars of soft loan for the development of
preschool education within the project on “Improving the development of
children from an early age” in cooperation with the Organization of
global cooperation in education of the World Bank.
Sixthly, great attention is paid to radical improvement of normative
legal framework of preschool education. To this end, the Cabinet of
Ministers and the Ministry of Preschool Education were given
instructions on development of a draft Law “On preschool education” on
the basis of advanced foreign experience.
Seventhly, the State Committee for Architecture and Construction was
instructed to revise, in cooperation with relevant ministries and
departments, the design of construction and reconstruction of
kindergartens.
The quality of preschool education is the decisive issue of our
tomorrow. Development of preschool education is not only the task of the
new ministry, it should become the most important task for each of us –
from the President, the Prime Minister and his deputies to the khokims
of districts, the leaders of the lowest levels, noted the Head of our
state.
