An important event was organized to teach the Uzbek language

A republican seminar was held to improve the quality of teaching the Uzbek language

Today, great attention is paid to improving the quality of teaching the Uzbek language as the state language in the education system of Uzbekistan, improving the professional skills of teachers, and introducing modern approaches to the educational process.

To this end, on August 24-28 of this year, the Republican Scientific and Methodological Center for the Development of Education and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education jointly organized a republican training seminar on the topic “Quality teaching of the Uzbek language in preschool and school education: modern methodologies and innovative approaches”.

A total of 180 teachers from all regions of our country were involved in the seminar, including 120 educators from preschool educational organizations and 60 primary school teachers from general secondary schools.

On August 24, the opening ceremony of the republican training seminar was held at the Institute for Retraining and Advanced Training of Directors and Specialists of Preschool Educational Organizations. It was attended by First Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Sherzod Karimov, Project Coordinator of the Department of Education Reform of the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Yulia Risyukova, Rector of the Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature named after Alisher Navoi Shukhrat Sirojiddinov, and Deputy Director of the Republican Scientific and Methodological Center for the Development of Education Habibullo Nosirov.

The opening ceremony focused on improving the quality of teaching the Uzbek language in schools and preschool educational organizations where education is provided in Russian and related languages, increasing attention to the state language, and developing the professional potential of teachers.

Speaking at the event, Yulia Risyukova noted that this seminar will serve to popularize best practices, widely introduce modern methodologies into practice, and further improve the quality of teaching the Uzbek language. According to him, "Independence allowed us not only to build a free and prosperous life, but also to preserve our national language, culture and values, and pass them on to future generations. In this sense, today's seminar on the topic "Quality teaching of the Uzbek language in preschool and school education: modern methodology and innovative approaches" is of particular importance. Because language is not just a means of communication. Language is an invaluable value that embodies the history, spirituality and thinking of the people. By teaching our children the Uzbek language in a quality way, we develop not only their literacy, but also a sense of belonging to the Motherland, respect for national values and the ability to communicate freely with society. In this process, the role of the educator is especially invaluable. In order to instill a love for the language in a child, it is necessary, first of all, to give him the opportunity to speak freely, express his opinion and not be afraid to make mistakes. The fact that 180 educators are participating in today's seminar indicates that the scale of work in this area is increasingly expanding. "I am confident that today's seminar will serve to popularize best practices in the field, widely introduce modern methodologies into practice, and further improve the quality of teaching the Uzbek language."

First Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Sherzod Karimov noted that the work being carried out in this direction, the seminars being organized, the programs and methodologies being created will serve to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers. He also emphasized that "the development of a nation is determined, first of all, by its attitude towards its language. A generation that values its language, can think freely in it and express its thoughts fluently, has a deeper understanding of national values. Therefore, the issue of teaching our children the Uzbek language should not remain the task of educational institutions alone. A child's attitude towards language is formed, first of all, in the family. Parents, especially mothers, play a large role in the development of a child's initial speech, vocabulary and way of thinking. It is very important to talk more with a child in Uzbek, answer his questions fully and intelligibly, read fairy tales, poems and stories," he said.

Shuhrat Sirojiddinov, rector of the Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, noted the importance of applying the knowledge gained in the training sessions in practice, and the need for these experiences to reach educational institutions, teachers and, most importantly, children. According to him, "Today, the changes being implemented in our country's education system are enormous. At the initiative of our President, broad opportunities are being created to provide the younger generation with quality education and decent upbringing, expand their knowledge base, and become mature individuals in the future. Today, there are also great opportunities for educators. We have the opportunity to acquire methodologies, experiences, and knowledge that we have not studied or used sufficiently before. Through such seminars and meetings, teachers learn from each other, enrich their views, and jointly seek solutions to existing problems. We still have many tasks and questions waiting to be solved. Solving them requires knowledge, experience, cooperation, and responsibility. Most importantly, every work we do must serve the future of children. If the knowledge acquired in today's meetings and trainings is put into practice, they will bear fruit. The experiences gained must reach educational institutions, educators, and most importantly, our children. Only then we can raise a young generation that is educated, spiritually mature, and loves its native language, national culture, and Motherland."

The main goal of this training seminar is to develop the professional competencies of Uzbek language teachers in general secondary educational institutions and preschool educational institutions where education is provided in Russian and related languages, and to direct them to the effective use of modern methods and tools.

During the seminar, training sessions were organized for teachers of general secondary schools on modern methods of teaching the Uzbek language, communication-oriented education, teaching based on practical tasks, and methods of planning and evaluating lessons. Teachers exchanged experience in analyzing educational materials, developing tasks aimed at developing students' speech skills, using practical exercises, and communication-based approaches.

In the preschool education sector, attention was paid to the use of game technologies in teaching children the Uzbek language, creating a natural language environment, and methods for developing pronunciation and vocabulary.

The interactive educational platform “Uzbek Language” was also presented as part of the seminar. This platform serves to organize the process of teaching the Uzbek language for educators and teachers of preschool educational organizations based on digital tools. The platform has developed separate educational resources for the younger and middle groups, as well as for the older and preparatory groups, taking into account the age characteristics of children. It contains thematic materials, interactive games, video lessons, and user instructions. These resources provide an opportunity to increase children’s vocabulary, develop oral speech, and form communication skills in the Uzbek language. The platform contains interactive materials on topics such as everyday life, family, nature, seasons, animal world, professions, transport, national values, teaching aids and the alphabet.

The sessions also provided practical recommendations on the use of digital technologies, artificial intelligence tools and modern educational resources. Participants enriched their methodological approaches through group work, practical assignments and discussions.

This seminar will serve to improve the quality of teaching the Uzbek language in schools and preschool educational organizations where education is provided in Russian and related languages, to develop the professional potential of teachers and to further increase the effectiveness of teaching the state language.

Teachers who successfully complete the seminar will be awarded appropriate certificates. Upon returning to their regions as “National Mentors”, they will continue to transfer the knowledge and skills acquired during the seminar and modern methodologies mastered during the seminar to other teachers in the region and implement them in practice based on a cascade-combined approach.