The head of the press service of The Republican Center for the Study of Public Opinion "Ijtimoiy Fikr" Dildora Akhmedova, participated as an expert in a talk show on the ZorTV channel on the topic of "Changes in the Education Sector."

The program discussed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's speech at the ceremonial event dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the Republic of Uzbekistan's independence, where special attention was given to changes in the education sector and the reforms being implemented, as well as their results.

The President emphasized the issues facing the youth, noting that currently, the main focus is on five priority areas in building a New Uzbekistan. These include, first and foremost, establishing a quality education system, developing business, creating a corruption-free and fair judicial system, radically improving healthcare, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The solutions to our problems and answers to our questions also lie in education. The key that opens all doors is education and upbringing.

Among the significant achievements are: the coverage of preschool education increased from 27.7% to 74.6%, the coverage of higher education rose from 9% to 38.6%, the number of schools grew from 9,719 to 10,886, and the number of higher education institutions increased from 77 to 212.

In this context, a major program for reforming school education was adopted. Schools are placing particular emphasis on in-depth study of the native language and literature. Qualified teachers from abroad are being invited to ensure quality instruction in foreign languages for our children. Students are provided with modern textbooks prepared based on advanced global practices.

We aim to open branches of prestigious foreign universities and make Uzbekistan a major educational center. Our youth study at leading foreign universities, gain experience, and are committed to serving the development of their country. For this purpose, additional opportunities will be created through the "El-yurt umidi" fund. Special attention will be given to the education and professional training of women.

From 2018 to 2023, nearly 1,900 scholarship recipients studied in 45 countries around the world. To date, 1,277 of them have returned to Uzbekistan and are effectively applying the knowledge and skills they acquired in various sectors of the economy.

The President addressed parents: "Educate your daughters, help them realize their dreams!" As the saying goes, if we educate a son, one person becomes educated. If we educate a daughter, the whole family and society become educated!

It should be noted that Uzbekistan pays great attention to ensuring gender equality in education, treating the education of boys and girls equally. There are 10,200 schools operating in the republic, where more than 6.4 million students study. Of these, nearly 3.2 million are girls.

The number of students in higher education institutions in the republic exceeds 1.35 million, of which 684,000 (50.7%) are women. This is an increase of 12.7% compared to the figures of 2017.