Translated with AI
Uzbekistan has decided to transition to a 12-year secondary education system. Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Sardor Rajabov announced this on the Uzbekistan 24 television channel, according to Gazeta.uz.
According to him, the transition will be carried out gradually by integrating preparatory groups, which currently cover almost all six-year-old children, into the school system. "The goal is to incorporate this stage into school education and transition to 12 years of education," Radzhabov noted.
The reform aims to improve the quality of graduate training and align the national education system with international standards. "Currently, when applying to foreign universities, our graduates are required to take a year-long preparatory course. If we implement a 12-year system, this requirement will disappear, and they will be able to enroll directly in a bachelor's degree," the deputy minister explained.
As the publication notes, a corresponding presidential decree has already been prepared. The explanatory note to the document states that the current 11-year model does not meet international standards. According to the ministry, approximately 15,000 Uzbek graduates abroad are forced to spend an additional year on preparatory courses each year.
The new structure of school education provides for:
– one year of preparatory stage for 6-year-old children;
– four years of primary school;
– five years of basic secondary education (grades 5–9);
– two years of general secondary education (grades 10–11), which can be completed in schools, lyceums, military schools or technical schools.
To implement the reform, new preparatory classes will be created in 3,666 schools and over 1,000 preschools. The curricula of universities graduating primary school teachers will be adapted to the changes.
The 12-year system is expected to ensure that school education complies with UNESCO international standards (ISCED-2011).
As a reminder, until 2009, Uzbekistan had an 11-year system. Later, the "9+3" model was introduced, which provided for compulsory education in colleges and lyceums. However, in 2018, the authorities reverted to the 11-year system, declaring the reform ineffective.
