Academic integrity, new textbooks, and university transformations: what changes are occurring in national education?

One of the most crucial factors in enhancing the quality of life is quality education. Growth in various fields, new technologies, professional services, and skilled specialists all stem from the education system. This is why the government places significant emphasis on improving the effectiveness of the educational system. One evidence of this is the establishment of the "Center for Educational Projects" at the initiative of the president.

The Center began its work with the mission of refining teacher training programs and adapting educational services to international standards. But how have the implemented projects influenced changes in the education sector?

The primary task in reforming educational policy is to enhance the quality of the content of educational programs. According to the Center's director, Adkham Khudaykulov, the existing programs are outdated, and their renewal has become a necessity.

"If we take areas like engineering or construction, the textbooks in these fields do not meet modern requirements, and the curricula are outdated. We were spending time studying topics that are no longer relevant," he states.

The director adds that a list of essential educational materials for higher education has been compiled, and the right to use foreign sources on a contractual basis has been obtained. In collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, the process of translating these materials has been organized.

According to Center staff, to create a quality education system, the classifier of higher education fields has been optimized based on international standards. Outdated and similar fields have been merged or excluded. As a result, the number of bachelor's degree programs has been reduced from 306 to 183, and the number of master's programs has decreased from 625 to 528.

"In the bachelor's programs, 40%, and in the master's programs, about 20% of the fields do not meet the requirements."

The project office director notes that due to this, some fields have been reduced, while others have been merged within a single area.

To enhance scientific, pedagogical, and economic efficiency, faculties and departments have been optimized, additional staff positions have been reduced, and the teaching load for subjects and instructors has been decreased.

"One of the key goals of our national educational policy is the quality training of teachers as the main providers of knowledge and the enhancement of their qualifications. The project office is developing proposals for the implementation of modern pedagogical technologies and methods, as well as facilitating the organization of ongoing professional development courses for educators," emphasizes Munis Khusanova, a specialist from the project office.

Currently, there are 600 technical schools operating in various regions of the country. In the field of vocational education, 333 vocational schools, 112 colleges, and 22 technical schools have been unified under a single structure called "technical schools."

"The transformation of 22 universities has been conducted. Of these, 12 have been reduced, and projects for the establishment of 5 new universities have been developed: Fergana State Technical University, Kokand State University, Namangan State Technical University, Nukus State Technical University, and Bukhara State Technical Institute. Additionally, 4 new universities have been established: Termez State Engineering and Agrotechnological University, Andijan State Technical Institute, Karshi State Technical Institute, and Navoi State University. Tashkent State Technical University has been reformed," reported Anvar Allabergenov, deputy director of the project office.

Previously, state grants in the higher education system were distributed among universities based on quotas. This meant that applicants primarily competed within one university. However, this system has been revised. Now, the opportunity for grant-based education is determined by the student's knowledge level at the republican level. Furthermore, a separate quota system for state grants and social incentive grants has been introduced.

To simplify the documentation process for students and reduce the time required for data collection, registrar offices have been launched in 92 universities. Through these offices, the process of obtaining more than 10 different certificates has been digitized, and over 60 services have been centralized.

Additionally, the management system has undergone transformation. Previously, educational institutions were under the jurisdiction of 27 ministries and departments, but under the new system, they have transitioned to unified management by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations. Professional qualification industry councils and associations have been identified as industrial partners in the education system.

It is known that coherence between education and practice is a vital factor for preparing quality personnel. Studying theory is one thing, but applying it in practice is entirely different. To integrate knowledge and experience, research is being conducted on implementing a dual education system. In this regard, active cooperation has been established with the German Society for International Cooperation.

"The project office is implementing dual education, and this work is very effective. Within this initiative, the introduction of a dual education system in technical schools and colleges in Uzbekistan is planned. Dual education ensures a combination of theory and practice. The educational process is organized 70% at production sites—factories, plants, and other locations related to specific industries, while 30% takes place in classrooms. The advantage of dual education is that it enables students to become qualified specialists in their field, making it easier to find employment. This system has been successfully implemented in Germany and is now being tested in Uzbekistan. Many organizations support this project," says the project manager from the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) for "Supporting the Reform and Modernization of the Vocational Education System in Uzbekistan."

Professor Aziza Shonazarova from Columbia University, who is participating in the educational reform process, emphasized that scientific works in the social sphere have often been of low quality, with many instances of plagiarism.

"Local researchers published their scientific works in pirated journals for a fee. Unfortunately, such research is not recognized by the international scientific community," she notes.

According to the professor, a "Code of Scientific Ethics and Academic Integrity" is currently being developed. This document will serve as a guide to ensure adherence to ethical norms, fairness, and integrity in scientific and academic activities.