"There is no need to reinvent the wheel." The Minister of Education on work plans

"No need to reinvent the wheel." Minister of Education on plans for work

First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Education and Science of Uzbekistan Erkinjon Turdimov on October 22 at an international summit in Samarkand answered journalists' questions about his plans and priorities in his new position.

Answering a question about what innovations he intends to introduce first, the minister stated that the education system does not require new solutions, but the existing work simply needs to be properly organized.

"What do you mean, what innovations? We must put everything in its place; there is no need to introduce new things and reinvent the wheel. Today, all conditions have been created by the state. […] If you don't help me, if others don't help, everyone, first of all every citizen who has a child, must find their place in school, in the education of their child," Turdimov said.

According to him, first of all it is necessary to ensure discipline and compliance with established requirements.

"Sitting and asking questions is easy. Right? What and how are you going to do? I'm not going to do anything. I just want to establish discipline, set proper standards, and through this achieve an effective result tomorrow. We will not adopt new laws. Everything is already there," the minister declared.

Turdimov also asked the journalists how much time they devote to the education of their own children.

"What is missing for your education, for your child? Do you have a child? You do. Do you set aside at least an hour every day to do homework with them? You don't. Many don't. But we must do it, hold our children accountable, teach them," he said.

The minister stressed that the quality of education depends not only on teachers and state authorities, but also on the attitude of parents and society.

"If we do not engage with our children and instead constantly criticize teachers, when will the status of the teacher rise? When you and I change our attitude. If we do not change our attitude and just sit around looking for flaws, we will continue to mark time. Therefore, education is a matter for society, a matter for each of us," Turdimov noted.

He emphasized that the new ministry must define its role at all levels of the system — from preschool education to higher education and science — and work together with the public.

Speaking about priorities, Turdimov called education an investment in the country's future. In addition to the quality of teaching, he noted the importance of raising children and instilling in them a sense of patriotism.

"This is an investment in the future. If we invest in our children, it will return to us in a much larger volume. If we want to heal our society and take a confident step toward development, then, of course, we must invest in education, in the future," the minister stated.

Separately, he spoke about the development of private education. In his opinion, non-governmental institutions can take on part of the state's burden, but supporting them should not mean giving up control over the quality of education.

"We must provide comprehensive support to representatives of the private sector who fully comply with state and educational standards, have their own facility base, and are capable of assisting in the training of qualified specialists," Turdimov said.

Journalists also asked the minister about possible personnel changes in regional units of the education system following the update of the agency's leadership.

"Personnel decide everything. Nothing can be achieved by replacing staff alone. Everyone must perform their duties; everyone must pull this cart together. Those who are unable to pull it drop out of line. Therefore, everything depends on time," he replied.

According to Turdimov, decisions on personnel changes will be made after analyzing the work on the ground. For now, he is not ready to name specific leaders or employees who might be replaced.

As a reminder, on October 3, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree merging the Ministry of Preschool and School Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation into a single Ministry of Education and Science.

The purpose of the reform was named as the formation of a unified system of education and science, ensuring continuity between different levels of learning, improving the quality of education and governance efficiency.

On October 9, Erkinjon Turdimov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Education and Science. Prior to that, he served as the khokim of the Syrdarya region.

In his new position, Turdimov will also coordinate the activities of state bodies and regional leaders on issues of education, science, and healthcare.

At the same time, a Secretariat for Education, Science and Healthcare was created in the structure of the Cabinet of Ministers. Control over the organization of the implementation of tasks in these areas was assigned to the head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva.