1-Independent work Independent Uzbekistan

1-Independent work Independent Uzbekistan
Words by Abdulla Orippov Music by Mutal Burkhanov
My country, sunny and free Salvation to your people, You are a warmhearted companion to the friends: Flourish eternally with knowledge and inventions May our fame shine as long as the world exists? Refrain: These golden valleys, dear Uzbekistan Manly spirit of ancestors is companion to you! When the great power of people became exuberant, You are the country that amazes the world! Belief of generous Uzbek does not die out, Tree, young children are a strong wing for you! The torch of Independence, guardian of piece, Just motherland is eternally prosperous!
INDEPENDENT UZBEKISTAN Uzbekistan is my native land. It is situated between two great rivers, the Amudarya and Syrdarya . The territory of Uzbekistan stretches 1425 km from the West to the East, and 930 from the North to the South. The territory of Uzbekistan is larger than some European countries, such as Austria. Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland taken together. In the North- East Uzbekistan borders on Kazakhstan, in the East and South- East- on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in the west- on Turkmenistan and in the South- on Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan is a sunny republic. The climate of Uzbekistan is continental. The coldest month in Uzbekistan is January, and the hottest summer month is July. Beginning from July till September there are no rains. The territory of the Republic consists of the Republic of
Karakalpakstan, 12 regions (violates) and the city of Tashkent. Besides, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the regions include many tow us, districts (tumans) settlements and etc. In 1991 the independence of Uzbekistan was proclaimed. Being a sovereign republic, Uzbekistan has its own Constitution, state flag and emblem. Uzbekistan is a multinational republic. At present, representatives of over 100 nationalities live here. At the beginning of 2000 the population of
Uzbekistan is equal to 24, 5 million people. The Independent Republic of Uzbekistan pays much attention to the population problems, particularly to motherhood and childcare protection, to moral and spiritual upbringing of the growing generation. The evidence of it is establishment of the official order “Sog`lom avlod uchun” (“For healthy gene- ration”) and the creation of the International Nongovernmental Charity Fund with the same title “Sog`lom avlod uchun”. Uzbekistan has the biggest economic potential among the other Central Asian republics and
Kazakhstan. Various branches of industry have been established and are successfully developing in the economy of the Republic. An important place in the economy of the Republic belongs to agricultural branches, first of all, to cotton- growing branch. Nature and climate and traditional skills of the population also promote the development of such branches as silk worm breeding, live- stock farming, grape, fruit and melon production. The rights of Uzbekistan are wide now. The Uzbek languages are the state one of the republic. Its role will be increasing in the near future.
The capital of Uzbekistan is Tashkent, an old and beautiful city.
GEOGRAFICAL POSITION OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN. The republic of Uzbekistan is one of the cradles of civilization. Located in the heart of the ancient Silk Route, it is an unique bridge connecting the great civilization of the East and West. Geographical position. Uzbekistan is located on the Asian continent in the basin of the great Amudarya and Sirdarya rivers. The territory of Uzbekistan stretches 1425 km from the West to the East, and 930 km from the North to the South. The territory of Uzbekistan is larger than some European countries, such as Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark and Switzerland taken together.
In the North-East Uzbekistan Borders on Kazakhstan, in the East and South-East-on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in the West-on Turkmenistan and in the South – on Afghanistan. Climate. Uzbekistan is a sunny republic. The climate of Uzbekistan is sharp continental. The coldest month in Uzbekistan is January. The hottest summer month is July. Beginning from July till September there are no rains. The most part of water comes from the mountainous part of the Republic.
The Amudarya and Sirdarya play an important role in Uzbekistan and Central Asia as these rivers provide main sources of water. Ecology. One can single out the following unfavorable natural factors influencing the appearance and aggravation of ecologic problems in Uzbekistan: - high meteorological potential of the environment pollution; - limited water resources and comparatively high level of their background pollution; - liability of lands to Stalinization and erosion; - poorness of wood resources.
The Aral Sea is considered to be the zone of ecological catastrophe. Today the strategic part of the solution of the Aral problem is aimed at returning to the natural course of events – restoration of natural or close to natural conditions in the Aral zone. For this purpose it is necessary top improve water supply of the Aral area and to use wide – scale production of desalinating equipment. The laws constituting legal, economic and organizational bases of preserving natural conditions of environment, rational use of natural resources are already acting in the Republic.
Resources, minerals. Nature has endowed Uzbekistan with various mineral raw resources, which are required for economic and social development of our Republic. Uzbekistan makes 31 per cent of oil, 40 per cent of natural gas and 55 per cent of coal concerning to Central Asia. The stock of copper, silver, gold, zinc, tungsten, natural gas and some other resources make Uzbekistan one of the world leaders. The most important deposit of Uzbekistan in the Angren deposit of brown coal. Underground deposits are the great wealth of nature. Only their rational and efficient use will open the way to real economic independence. More than 30 deposits of gold have been discovered in Uzbekistan. The Republic holds the second place among the CIS countries, 7-8 place in the world in gold production and fifth place in per capita gold production. The total reserves of the discovered deposits already exceed 4,000 tons. And Uzbek gold in its quality corresponds to the highest world standards. Every year 80,000 tons of copper are produced. There are great deposits of uranium. More than 140 deposits of oil, 30 deposits of precious metals, 420 building materials have already been discovered. According to the data of western experts the total potential of natural reserves in Uzbekistan is 1,500-2,000 billion US$.
Thus Uzbekistan today is one of the most promising states in Asia as far as capital infesting is concerned.
The educational system of Uzbekistan
According to official sources, about 60 percent of Uzbekistan's population is covered under the system of education. The earlier educational system required 11 years of compulsory schooling for both men and women. In 1992 the policy decision was made to change from 11 to 9 years of compulsory education. After nine years of compulsory schooling, students can prepare for higher education in tenth or eleventh grade or turn to vocational training. After graduating from any type of secondary education, an individual can enter a higher education institution to obtain a bachelor's degree and continue study toward a master's or doctoral degree.
Budget constraints and other transition problems following the collapse of the Soviet Union, have made it difficult to maintain and update educational buildings, equipment, texts, supplies, teaching methods, and curricula. Foreign aid for education is desperately needed, but has not been sufficient to compensate for the loss of central funding.
When viewed in general, the Uzbekistan educational system includes:
Preschool training (preprimary-from three to six years old)
General secondary education (from 6 to 15 years old)
Secondary vocational education (from 15 to 18 years old)
Higher education (undergraduate and graduate-from 18 years old).
Girls and boys are legally considered equal and study in the same classes and schools. Schools are open to all ethnic groups, and minorities in schools are rarely an issue.
The academic year begins on 2 September (the first of September is the Independence Day) or the first working day of September. The academic year ends in June for secondary schools and in July for higher education. Russian was a common language for over 100 nationalities living in the Soviet Union and played the same role as English for the United States. It was also the Lingua Franca of the socialist world that included Bulgaria, Poland, Mongolia, and other European and Asian countries. Without Russian as a common language, Uzbeks (and other ethnic groups) would have to learn Ukrainian, Belorussian, Moldovian, Armenian, and many other languages to communicate with the multinational population of the Soviet Union. Therefore, until 1991, Uzbeks preferred schools with instruction in Russian for their children. To not do so would have put them at a great disadvantage socially. After Uzbekistan gained its independence, Uzbek (not Russian) became the official language of instruction. In 1998-1999, some 76.8 percent of pupils at day schools were educated in Uzbek.
Examinations in the educational system of Uzbekistan are primarily oral. Universities, institutes, and some colleges still have entrance exams. Course exams occur only at the end of the course (semester). State - exams are taken at higher education institutions at the completion of all coursework. The grading system of Uzbekistan is numerical. The highest grade is 5 (excellent = A), then follows 4 (good = B), 3 (satisfactory = C), and 2 (unsatisfactory = F). One is never used. Final grades are determined by test scores, papers, attendance, and class participation.
Because compulsory education is freely provided to all children of Uzbekistan, private schools have a difficult time justifying their existence. In fact, they were banned in 1993. Also, since Uzbekistan Law declares the separation of education from religion, there are no religious schools. However, in 1999, the establishment of the Tashkent Islamic University was allowed. Computer technology, thanks to international assistance, is being introduced to educational institutions and training centers. In 1994, the Central Asian Telecommunications Training Center (CATTC) was established in Uzbekistan under the Tacis Program of the European Commission. Training at the CATTC is provided using modern teaching aids, active methods, and individual and group methods by specialists and experts in different fields. The Computer Center at the University of Samarkand provides computer service to departments and research units and collaborates with other institutions and the private sector to run short training courses. At the secondary school level, computers are still rare.
As a result of decline in funding, the printing of books, textbooks, and other publications face numerous difficulties. This problem is common for all NIS countries. Nevertheless, despite obvious difficulties, according to UNESCO, Uzbekistan schools supplied about 60 percent of textbooks as a whole and for some selected subjects up to 100 percent. Publishing houses produced about 149 million copies of over 1700 various titles. From 1992 to 1997, some 174 textbooks with over 53,000 copies were published, including 138 original, 19 translated, 8 parallel in 2 languages, and 9 experimental textbooks. About 170 various tutorials and educational literature in 7 languages are published. Audiovisual materials are usually manually prepared by teachers. With the high price of copying and low salaries, teachers and professors must be creative.
In the Soviet-type higher education institution, most students studied for a full working week (five to six days a week, six to eight hours of classes a day). Evening and correspondence courses were also popular. The first and the second year of the curriculum usually included the study of social science with similar course requirements for all students. Specialization began in the third year and continued in the fourth year. Within this period a student had between 4,500 and 5,000 face-to-face hours of instruction in 20 to 30 subjects, depending on the field of concentration. Curriculum included general subjects like philosophy and economy, specialized subjects determined by the chosen profession, and very specific courses depending on the deeper specialization. Curriculum was very rigid and equal for all students. There were no choices. In the modern system higher education institutions, curriculum is certainly less rigid. However, the authorization of the curriculum is still the responsibility of a ministry, not a particular institution.
The expansion of curricula, including the addition of courses in French, Arabic, and English, has placed new stress on a limited supply of teachers and materials. In the mid-1990s, a major curriculum reform was begun. Western experts advised: a more commercial approach to the mathematics curriculum more emphasis in economics courses on the relationship of capital to labor more emphasis in social science courses on individual responsibility for the environment the addition of entirely new subjects, such as business management.
Because such changes involve new materials and a new pedagogical approach by staff, the reform period is estimated at 10 to 15 years. The current transformation of the educational system is performed along educational models in developed countries. According to Gulyamov, "During the process of developing the National Program the experience of reforming education in more than 30 leading countries in the world has been studied" (Gulyamov 1999).
In 1997, President Karimov founded "Umid," a program providing students with educational fellowships for obtaining education abroad. By the year 2000, over 700 students have been awarded the - "Umid" Presidential Scholarship to pursue graduate and undergraduate degrees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan. Certainly, returning graduates are expected to bring - back "the influence," and those who have finished their studies are employed by the State. The Uzbekistan educators established contacts with the United Nations Organization and separate countries like France, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Many organizations like Peace Corp (USA), ACCELS (USA), British Council, Merci Project (Great Britain), Goethe Institute (Germany), NAFE (USA), and Save the Children Fund (Great Britain) participate in the educational efforts undertaken by Uzbekistan. For example, the Ministry of Education of Turkey assisted in forming 22 Lycea for over 4.8 thousand students. Another example is the American Council on Cooperation in Education (ANCALS) which within 4 years helped over 222 Uzbekistan students get education in the United States. Finally, within only 2 years, 25 Uzbekistan schools got the certificates of UNESCO Associated Schools Project (ASP). Get Your Degree!
An American Educational Advising Center (EAC) funded by the United States Information Agency (USIA) and administered by the American Council for Collaboration in Education and Language Study (ACCELS) was established in Tashkent to assist individuals interested in studying, training, and/or pursuing research in the United States. Tashkent EAC also monitors three similar regional educational advising centers located in the other cities. EAC provides ongoing training for the advisors.p
Finally, the European Training Foundation (ETF) established an observatory to monitor the vocational education and training in Uzbekistan. It also disseminates the language training programs and helps the European Commission with the implementation of the Tempus program. Since 1994 the latter has financed over 12 projects, including the restructuring of the Geography Faculty at Samarkand State University and the development of a new history curriculum at Tashkent State University.
Education has and will continue to play a significant role in development. First, it increases an individual's internal potential, self-respect, and self-esteem. Second, it makes an individual a better prospect for employment. Third and most importantly, an educated individual gives more back to the society. Unfortunately, the results of education and training are less directly connected to revenue for immediate business growth, which is why the government tends to cut educational budgets.
In developing a national education system to replace the centralized education prescriptions of Moscow, Uzbekistan has encountered severe budgeting shortfalls. The education law of 1992 began the process of theoretical reform, but the physical base has deteriorated, and curriculum revision has been slow. Education System
Education is supervised by two national agencies, the Ministry of People's Education (for primary, secondary, and vocational education) and the Ministry of Higher Education (for postsecondary education). In 1993 Uzbekistan had 9,834 preschool centers, most of which were run by state enterprises for the children of their employees. An estimated 35 percent of children ages one to six attend such schools, but few rural areas have access to preschools. In the early 1990s, enterprises began closing schools or transferring them to direct administration of the Ministry of People's Education. A modest government construction program adds about 50,000 new places annually-a rate that falls far short of demand. Although experts rate most of Uzbekistan's preschools as being in poor condition, the government regards them as contributing vitally to the nutrition and education of children, especially when both parents work, a situation that became increasingly frequent in the 1990s.
In 1993 enrollment in regular and vocational schools, which covered grades one through eleven (ages six through sixteen), was 4.9 million of the estimated 5.7 million children in that age-group. Because of * funding shortages, in 1993 the period of compulsory education was shortened from eleven to nine years. The infrastructure problem of schools is most serious at the primary and secondary levels; the government categorizes 50 percent of school buildings as unsuitable, and repair budgets are inadequate. Construction of new schools has been delayed because the boards of capital construction of the two education ministries do not have direct control over contractor pricing or construction practices at local levels. School nutritional levels often are below state standards; an estimated 50 percent of students do not receive a hot meal. In 1992 about 5,300 of Uzbekistan's 8,500 schools had double shifts; because most of these schools were rural, this situation affected only 25 percent of students, however.
In 1993 an estimated 220,000 students were in vocational training programs, with about 100,000 students graduating annually from 440 schools. Working in close cooperation with local employers, the schools choose from 260 trades to offer instruction conforming with industrial needs. In the post-Soviet era, vocational curricula were modified to accommodate an upsurge in light industry. Experts agree that, as the national economy diversifies and expands, the vocational program must expand its coverage of key industries and streamline its organization, which suffered disorientation in its transition from the rigid Soviet system.

In 1992 some 321,700 students were enrolled in institutions of higher learning; of those, about 43 percent were in evening or correspondence courses. The enrollment represented about 19 percent of the seventeen to twenty age-group, a decrease from the more than 23 percent reported in 1990. In 1992 enrollment declined because an entrance examination was used for the first time, Russian emigration continued, and the economy's demand for college graduates fell. Experts predicted that the government would restrict admittance levels until its policies succeed in expanding the economy. Fifty-three institutions of higher learning, many with productive research programs, were active in 1993. Higher education is hindered, however, by a shortage of laboratories, libraries, computers and data banks, and publishing facilities to disseminate research findings.

The state higher education system includes three universities, located at Nukus, Samarqand, and Tashkent. Tashkent State University, which has 19,300 students and 1,480 teachers, is the largest university in Central Asia; it has sixteen full departments, including three devoted to philology and one to Asian studies. Some twenty research institutes offer courses in specialized areas of medicine, veterinary science, and industry and technology. Another thirty institutes of higher learning offer postsecondary studies in medicine, agriculture, teaching, engineering, industrial technology, music, theater, economics, law, pharmacy, and political science; seventeen of the latter category are located in Tashkent.

Higher Education in Uzbekistan

1. National Programme for Personnel Training

After independence in 1991, Uzbekistan became the master of its own way of economic and social development and had the task to construct a democratic state and open civil society, a socially-oriented market economy. All this entailed a radical reform of the education system in Uzbekistan. Education had to be reoriented towards meeting the common national interest and ensuring competitiveness in the world market. Uzbekistan became a member of the international community and was keen to develop a modern system of education.

The importance of the reform of the education system should be considered in the context of the demography of Uzbekistan : the population of the Republic of Uzbekistan is more than 26 million 485 thousand people (by the 4-th quarter of 2006), over 11 million of young people are less than 17 years of age. This is 42% of the population.
On 29 August 1997 President Islam Karimov signed the Law on the establishment of a "National Programme for Personnel Training", which provides a long-term strategy for strengthening education, the development of a continuing education system and reinforcing the multi-level higher education system. The programme is a unique one, which sets out the fundamental principles of the reform strategy, outlines the problems and sets their priorities.
The aim of the programme is the fundamental reform of education system, the complete reversal of its . ideological routine, elaboration of the national educational system for the training of highly qualified specialists up to the level of advanced democratic states. It is stated in the programme that one of the tasks to achieve the above aim is the development of a mutually beneficial international co-operation.

1.1. Implementation of the National Programme for Personnel Training

National Programme for Personnel Training (NPPT) was implemented in 3 stages. The first stage (1997- 2001): a new legal, personnel, scientific-methodological and financial basis for reforming and developing the education system has been created; the implementation of the NPPT has become an integral part of the activities of all public, scientific, industrial and non-governmental structures; a new system of continuous education, including new types of SSE (professional colleges and academic lyceums) and two-level higher education has become fully operational.