For teachers and mentors of Uzbekistan

Dear teachers and mentors! With all my heart I congratulate you, all workers and veterans of the field of education and upbringing on the national holiday - Teachers and Mentors Day. Today in Uzbekistan we are building a social state in which every person, regardless of nationality, language and religion, can realize their talents and abilities, knowledge and experience. To this end, we are mobilizing all our strength and capabilities for the harmonious, intellectual and physical development of our youth, for them to receive a quality education, and to find a worthy place in life. We are all, of course, pleased that at the recently held 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the reforms being carried out in our country in the field of education were recognized as being in tune with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This year, for the first time, the updated Constitution of the country enshrines the status of a teacher, and the development of the education system is included among the main tasks of the state. With the increasing role and influence of the teacher in the life of society, the importance of education and upbringing, science and culture naturally grows. After all, the authority of the teacher is the authority of the nation, of the entire people. In recent years, thanks to our joint efforts, many new kindergartens, schools and higher educational institutions have been built in the country. The material and technical base and human resources of educational and scientific institutions are being strengthened. New generation textbooks and teaching aids are being created. Adequate assessment and stimulation of the hard work of workers in the field are constantly in the center of our attention. Over the past seven years, the enrollment rate in preschool education has increased from 27 percent to 72 percent, in higher education - from 9 to 42 percent, the number of higher educational institutions has increased from 77 to 212, which, of course, can be considered one of our most important achievements. Based on the adopted programs in the field of education and upbringing, an additional 700 thousand student places have recently been created through the construction of 261 new secondary schools and the expansion of 2.5 thousand existing ones. This year, 500 foreign language specialists invited from abroad have started working in schools. In the future we will increase their number by 3 times. Along with this, in-depth study of a number of subjects of students’ choice will be organized in grades 10-11. In order to support education workers, their average wages will be doubled. 1000 educators and teachers will be sent for advanced training and internships in foreign countries. The system for hiring teachers, improving their qualifications and assigning categories will also be improved. We will continue to give priority to raising our children in the spirit of national pride, love of the Motherland, and respect for universal human values. Dear friends! Today in our country, the support and development of school education is turning into a national movement. In particular, dozens of entrepreneurs - such as Abdukarim Saksonov from the Navoi region, Kuyosh Khakberdiev and Ilkhom Rustamov from the Samarkand region, Oybek Namozov from the Bukhara region, Nurbek Ergashev from the Kashkadarya region - built new schools in their regions, overhauled other educational institutions and equipped them appropriate equipment, and our respected veteran, poet Barot Isroilov from the Akhangaran region created a modern library in his yard with 10 thousand books from his own fund and donated it to rural schoolchildren. All this, of course, deserves deep respect. In the person of these wonderful people, whose circle is expanding every year, we see worthy successors to the good deeds of our Jadid ancestors, realizing their cherished dreams and aspirations, contributing to the creation of a strong foundation of the Third Renaissance in the country. I take this opportunity to express my most sincere gratitude to all of them. Dear compatriots! In our Development Strategy “Uzbekistan – 2030”, together with you, we have also identified new goals and plans for the further development of the education system. The implementation of these priority tasks, the education of a new generation capable of taking responsibility for the fate and future of the Motherland, requires from all of us a lot of strength and energy, dedication, selfless and conscientious work. Once again, I express to you, dear teachers and mentors, my readiness to provide comprehensive assistance and support in carrying out such an important and honorable task. I wish you all health, happiness, great success in your noble activities, peace, goodness and prosperity to your families, dear teachers! Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan