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LEARNING PLANET (LEARNING COUNTRY, LEARNING REGION). CONTINUOUS EDUCATION AS A NATIONAL ISSUE
CONDITIONS AND FACTORS OF
RADICAL REFORMING OF
THE SYSTEM OF CONTINUOUS EDUCATION IN
THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
A. E. Azimov
Uzbekistan has rightfully been, and still is, a country with one of the highest levels of education of the general population in the world. As has been repeatedly stressed by President of Uzbekistan I. Karimov, “... the high level of general and vocational education of the labour resources is a typical feature of Uzbekistan. It ranks the republic together with economically advanced countries with a high level of development of human potential”1.
The desire to do away with a whole number of shortcomings and problems inherited from the old system of education has become the incentive which is speeding up the creation of the National Program of Personnel Training. The old system of education had two substantial “gaps”. The first gap emerged after the 9th grade. Out of 450,000 school students annually finishing the 9th grade, 250,000 continued studies in the 10th grade and 100,000 could enter secondary specialized or vocational educational institutions. There is no demand for the remaining 100,000 graduates of basic education in the sphere of production and further vocational education. In 1997 alone, 103,000 graduates of the 9th grade without any professional training, or 21.5% of the total number, flowed out into the labour market (this was only 5.4% in 1991)1 2. The second gap in the general education and vocational programs emerged after the 11th grade. Only 12-13% of graduates annually were able to enter higher educational institutions. Thus, as a result of these gaps annually, about 310-320,000 15 to 18-year-old boys and girls were unable to find a path in life, having studied in the 9th-11th grades, and did not know what to do next. They lacked self-confidence and confidence in the future. As a result of the lack of consistency between general education and vocational programs in the existing system of education system, the graduates of basic and general secondary education lacked the necessary vocational orientation and skills of labour activities. Boys and girls experience serious difficulties in choosing the way of living corresponding to their abilities, desires, and creative and working preferences.
It is due to the broken unity of general education programs and the inconsistency of vocational educational programs that these gaps appeared. Many of our children know what this has led to. They have no opportunity to continue
1 Каримов И.А. По пути безопасности и стабильного развития. Т. 6. Т., 1998. P. 196.
2 Report on Human Development of the UNDP. Т., 2007/2008. P. 84.
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their education, and have no specialty, thus being out of the running in the job market. Weak academic programs, their failure to meet the requirements of the times, as well as the multitude of repetitions and duplication of the training material in them, proved to be absolutely ungrounded from a scientific point of view.
A distinguishing feature of the National Model of Lifelong Education is the introduction of the following independent kinds of education: nine-year long general secondary and three-year long secondary specialized vocational education, which ensures the consistency of the transition from general educational to vocational educational programs. General educational programs comprise preschool, primary (I-IV grades), general secondary education (I-IX grades), secondary specialized education, and vocational education. Vocational educationaljprograms include secondary specialized, vocational, higher (bachelor degree course, master degree course) and postgraduate education, advanced training and personnel retraining. How can this be achieved? Primarily, as a result of deep and comprehensive analysis of the curricula and programs of the 11-year-long general secondary education, taking into account the possibility of studying the training material for the students, and new objectives and tasks, one part of the training material is concentrated within the framework of the introduced 9-year-long general secondary education, and one part has been introduced in the new kind of education: secondary specialized, vocational as well as higher education. This allowed higher efficiency of general secondary education, and optimization of the “core” of the content of education.
This idea is for general education programs, both for colleges and lyceums, whereby the students who have assimilated these programs study certain subjects thoroughly in lyceums, while vocational colleges offer industry-specific and specialty directions. At the next stage, the young people who do not continue their studies in higher educational institutions can work in the profession that they have learnt, can find their place in society and be in demand on the labour market.
Academic lyceums provide intensive intellectual development, and thorough industry-specific, differentiated, vocationally oriented training, taking into account the individual abilities and interests of the students. Young people have an opportunity to increase the level of their knowledge and to study intensively the fundamentals of certain sciences in the area chosen by them.
Vocational colleges provide both profound general educational training and in-depth development of the professional leanings and skills of students, who study one or several modern specialties in the selected area.
Higher education based on secondary specialized, vocational education is an independent type of the system of lifelong education, and is carried out in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the National Program of Personnel Training”. The bachelor degree course is basic higher education, providing fundamental and applied knowledge in the area of training, with a training period of at least four years. Upon completion of the bachelor degree program, the graduates are awarded the bachelor degree in the area of training, according to the results of the certifying examination. The master degree course is higher education with fundamental and applied knowledge in a particular specialty of the training area, with the training period of at least two years. Upon completion of the master degree program, the graduates are awarded the master’s degree in a particular
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specialty in that area of training, according to the results of the certifying examination. The state-recognized Bachelor and Master degrees entitle their holders to be involved in professional activities in accordance with the area of specialty, or to continue education in educational institutions of the higher kind.
With a view to the effective management and control of the new system of lifelong education, a number of structural divisions and institutions have been organized. These included the Center of Secondary Specialized Vocational Education with directorates, at regional “khokimiyats”, the Institute of Development of Secondary Specialized, Vocational Education designed to lay the scientific foundation of the content of the new kind of education. The State Testing Center has established the directorate for control over the quality of personnel training, and certification of teachers and educational institutions1.
The National Program of personnel training and its core, the National Model, have been now recognized by the relevant international organizations, and is highly regarded by the leading scientists in the world. The major thing noted by specialists is the unique National Program of personnel training and system of lifelong education, oriented towards the XXI century, its focus on the humanistic aspects and the satisfaction of the needs of personality and society.
The Decree of the President of Uzbekistan, I. Karimov “On Further Improvement of the System of Training and Certification of Scientific and Scientific-Pedagogical Staff of the Highest Qualification” (dated July 24, 2012), introduced the one-stage system, awarding the degree of Doctor of Sciences from January 1, 2013, instead of the obsolete two-stage system of postgraduate education (Candidate of Sciences and Doctor of Sciences). Besides, starting from next year in Uzbekistan, the institution of trainee researcher-applicants will be reduced, and its students will be transferred to the institution of senior research worker-applicants by certification and critical expert examination of the topics of dissertation research in accordance with the new requirements for postgraduate education.
For Uzbekistan, the creation of a progressive system of education which meets the requirements of the times is the only way towards the future.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
1 Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 109 dated 11.03.98 “On Creation of the Directorate for control over the quality of personnel training, certification of teachers and educational institutions as part of the State Testing Center”.
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