In a stride towards fulfilling the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Uzbekistan has demonstrated remarkable progress in the area of education, as analyzed by specialists from the Institute of Macroeconomic and Regional Research (IMRI). The focus was on the SDG for the period 2017-2022, specifically targeting "Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting learning opportunities throughout all life for everyone."
As per the latest 2023 ranking of UN Sustainable Development Goals, Uzbekistan has climbed to the 69th position out of 166 countries, marking an impressive improvement by eight positions compared to the previous year.
The enhancement in the ranking can be attributed to substantial growth in various indicators aligned with the 10 sustainable development goals. Notably, Goal 4, which centers around "Ensuring quality education," witnessed significant advancements across nine objectives and six key indicators.
Key Achievements under Goal 4: Ensure Quality Education
- Early Childhood Development: The International Household Survey (MICS) revealed that 82.6% of children aged 3 to 5 years in Uzbekistan are thriving in terms of health, education, and psychological well-being, aligning with the global average for UN member countries.
- Preparation for Primary Education: Between 2018 and 2022, the participation of children in programs preparing them for primary education doubled, reaching an overall participation rate of 84.2% in 2022. This included 83.4% participation for girls and 85.0% for boys.
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Skills: Significant progress was noted in ICT skills, with a notable increase from 10.5% to 14.7% in using basic arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet. Furthermore, there was an improvement from 6.7% to 7.8% in creating electronic presentations with multimedia elements.
- Welfare in Education: The parity index, which measures welfare in the education system, saw an encouraging rise from 0.92 to 1.03 among households in the lowest income quintile.
- Infrastructure and Materials: Schools in Uzbekistan have witnessed a considerable improvement in conditions for the educational process:
- Internet usage for educational purposes increased from 86.3% to 94.6%.
- Schools with computers rose from 87.3% to 97.7%.
- Infrastructure adapted for students with disabilities increased from 26.5% to 49.8%.
- Teachers with necessary qualifications increased from 95.6% to 96.1%.
This positive trajectory in Goal 4's implementation aligns closely with the "Uzbekistan-2030" strategy, which places a strong emphasis on education quality enhancement. Key initiatives include developing computer literacy skills, creating multimedia applications for tablets, introducing vocational training courses, expanding non-state educational organizations, establishing regional professional training centers, and upskilling teaching staff.
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