INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 164  

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August 19, 2016

INFORMATION DIGEST OF PRESS OF UZBEKISTAN # 164  

POLItiCs. 1

Islam Karimov received South Korean Minister of the Interior at the Oqsaroy. 1

Society.. 1

Positive and Optimistic Mood. 1

International cooperation.. 2

Uzbek-South Korean forum takes place in Tashkent 2

EDUCATION.. 2

Higher Education of Uzbekistan: Modernization and Improvement 2

Ecology.. 5

The systems of collecting and disposing of the used energy-saving fluorescent lamps containing mercury are being further developed in Uzbekistan. 5

Olympics-2016. 6

Boxer from Uzbekistan Shakhram Giyasov won a silver medal at the XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio  6

 

 

POLItiCs

Islam Karimov received South Korean Minister of the Interior at the Oqsaroy

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Korea Hon Yun-sik at the Oqsaroy on 17 August.

Warmly greeting the guest, the head of our state has noted that Uzbekistan highly values and attaches priority significance to further strengthening relations of strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea. Islam Karimov expressed confidence that this visit will support enhancement of a mutually beneficial cooperation, first of all, in the sphere of improving the public administration and introducing an E-government system.

The state visits of President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye to Tashkent in June 2014 and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov to Seoul in May 2015 have given great impetus to the comprehensive development of a full-scale interaction between the two states, first of all, in an economic sphere.

Following these visits, over 100 bilateral documents were signed, including agreements on a trade-economic, investment, technological and financial cooperation for the total amount of over 9,5 billion US dollars.

South Korea is one of the main investment and technological partners of Uzbekistan. Large investment projects have been implemented and under realization in oil and gas, electrotechnics, textile spheres, production of construction materials, pharmaceuticals with GM Korea, Korean Air, Kogas, Lotte, GS, Posco Daewoo, Samsung, Shindong, KOLON and many other South Korean companies, as trusted traditional partners.

At present the volume of foreign direct investments of the Republic of Korea to Uzbekistan’s economy has exceeded 7 billion US dollars. 440 enterprises with participation of South Korean investments operate in our country, representative offices of 77 companies are accredited.

It should be especially underlined that an opening ceremony of the Ustyurt Gas Chemical Complex at the Surgil field was held during the visit of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn, which is a true symbol of the Uzbek-Korean investment cooperation.

Within the cooperation in the sphere of ICT a project on introducing the system “Electronic government” in the Republic of Uzbekistan with the organization of training of specialists in this sphere is being implemented with the involvement of technical assistance from South Korea. In line with the Memorandum of cooperation with LG CNS, signed in June 2014 a joint venture LG CNS Uzbekistan has been established, which is aimed at developing information systems and software for the Electronic government system and the real sector of the economy in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Hon Yun-sik expressed sincere gratitude to the head of our state for a warm reception and underscored the readiness of South Korea in comprehensive development of a full-scale and mutually beneficial partnership with Uzbekistan.

(Source: Press-service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)

Society

Positive and Optimistic Mood

On the eve of the holiday the “Ijtimoiy fikr” Center for the study of public opinion has conducted a sociological survey “Uzbekistan: 25 years of independence”.

According to its results 98,2% of citizens are positive about the socioeconomic situation in the country, assessing it as “stably good”. In their opinion, the last quarter of a century has turned into a new epoch in the historical advancement of Uzbekistan. Its major achievement, according to respondents, is preservation and consolidation of peace and tranquility, absence of socio-political, inter-ethnic, inter-confessional and military conflicts. At the same time they note the international recognition of the Republic, its growing authority on the international scene, affirmation of democratic principles and socially-oriented market economy.

The survey showed that the reforming processes had a significant impact on the society, in the first place, on the conscientiousness and thinking of citizens. Their world outlook changed, as well as their attitude to work, the level of their legal awareness, political consciousness and social activity keeps growing up, and their spiritual and moral values and civic stance keep strengthening.

The survey demonstrated the people’s satisfaction with the country’s achievements. The absolute majority of the population admits the effectiveness of economic reforms, more than 90% of respondents said that in recent years they were able to significantly improve their financial status, living conditions, raised their social status, received good education, started their own businesses, and became owners of some property.

The development of entrepreneurship provided additional opportunities for self- actualization and facilitated the growth of the population’s living standards and quality of life – the high level of business environment is confirmed by the positive mood of 97,3% of respondents.

More than 93% of citizens can really feel the effect of the State policy conducted by the government on strengthening the family and protection of motherhood and childhood. The State program “The Year of Healthy Mother and Child” contributes significantly to this process. The residents of the Republic attach great importance to family planning, they seek to most efficiently distribute available material resources to ensure that they have everything they need and secure decent education for their children.

The spiritual and moral values continue to hold a focal point among the Uzbekistanis priorities. Particular importance among them belong to kindness, fairness, generosity, diligence, respect for elders, hospitality and patriotism, devotion to the Motherland, peacefulness, and respect for traditions and historical heritage.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

International cooperation

Uzbek-South Korean forum takes place in Tashkent

Tashkent hosted an Uzbek-South Korean Forum of cooperation in improving public administration and introduction of Electronic Government.

Representatives of the state bodies, companies and scientific-research centers of Uzbekistan and South Korea participated in the forum.

At the forum, the sides discussed issues of developing E-government and further improving public administration, development of ICT and cooperation in these directions.

The sides exchanged opinion on further development of public administration, e-government, exchange of electronic documentation and information, storage and digitalization of archive documents.

Within the forum, Uzarchive agency and National Archive of South Korea signed a memorandum of understating.

(Source: UzDaily.com)

EDUCATION

Higher Education of Uzbekistan: Modernization and Improvement

Five years ago, Uzbekistan adopted a 2011-2016 Program of Modernization of Higher Educational Institutions’ Material and Technical Basis and Fundamental Improvement of Specialist Training. It became an essential document that defines the further ways of implementing the National Program for Specialists Training.

What has been done?

All these years, the program has been a blueprint for the development of higher education. Also, a multitude of decisions have been made based on the realities and needs of the development of the system of specialist training.

Repair and construction work has been increased substantially. Initially, with funds from the established Development Fund it was planned  to reconstruct eleven schools. However, a program was adopted on improving foreign language learning system – and the list welcomed the Uzbek State University of World Languages. Tashkent State Dental Institute was founded. And the construction of buildings for the new school was the task of the fund.

Tashkent Law University was overhauled. At the same time there was continual search for funding from other sources for the development of other universities. For example, Tashkent State Economic University and the Tashkent Institute of Finance acquired new buildings. Reconstruction of the existing building was completed and a new school block is under construction at Jizzakh Polytechnic Institute.

The determining factor for the development of science and education is their integration. The management of higher education institutions is transmitted to leading research centers. With the exception of the Karakalpak branch of the Academy of Sciences, all the regional offices of the organization as a laboratory have been made part of the regional state universities. Ten major institutes of the Academy of Sciences are now under the management of the leading universities of the capital city. For example, the Institute of Chemistry and Physics of Polymers as a research center became part of the National University of Uzbekistan, under the jurisdiction of the university passed the Institute of History, Institute of Mathematics. These processes have contributed to the further strengthening of cooperation between scientists from universities, recruiting teachers and highly qualified specialists in various fields of science, transfer of scientific research on relevant topics to higher education directly to young people.

Transition to a single-stage system of training of highly qualified personnel contributed to strengthening the role of master’s courses  in the process of preparation of scientific and scientific-pedagogical staff, which determined an additional set of measures to further improve the programs and approaches to teaching in the master’s program. Master’s degree courses emerged as an important stage in the preparation of young people to research and conduct scientific research.

But most importantly, the implementation of the program saw the revision and creation of new mechanisms that will contribute to the further improvement and development of higher education. The Fund for the Development of Schools’ Material and Technical Basis will work toward strengthening material and technical resources. The Center for the Development of Electronic Education will help introduce information and communication technologies to the learning process. Under its management is the recently created system of conferencing based on optic fibers that unite higher education institutions.

Who is taught?

One of the crucial moments in the improvement of the system of specialist training has been the revision of strategic positions: who will train who? The main arbiter that establishes the ratio of labor market needs and specialist training is the state and it performs this function through a quota of admissions.

It is presently established on the basis of long-term predictions in the development of economic sectors and social sphere. Over the past ten years the general quota of admissions has not changed – around 57,000 people are admitted as freshman students. However, significant changes have been made in several specialties. The 2011-2016 Program of Modernization of Higher Education Institutions’ Material and Technical Basis and Fundamental Improvement of Specialist Training has been a blueprint for action.

The number of students pursuing degrees in ngineering, production and construction has increased. In the 2010/2011 academic year, they made up 23% of the admission quote while now this figure stands at 36%. This occurred as a result of the repurposing of the Andijan and Namangan Engineering and Economic Institutes to become the Andijan Machinery Building Institute and the Namangan Engineering and Technology Institute. The admission quotas to Jizzakh Polytechnic University and other technical universities have been increased twofold.

At the same time, admission figures for the area of education fell from 31.1% to 24.6%. The Tashkent Region Pedagogical Institute in Angren was shut down. This period saw a second wave of cuts in economist training. The contingent of students in “Economics and business” dwindled from 8.7% to 5.7%. A key role in this was played by the repurposing of Andijan and Namangan Engineering and Economic Institutes. Due to the concentration of specialist preparation at the Tashkent Law University and Karakalpak State University, the volume of training of law specialists reduced from 1.3% to 0.9%. In favor of the technical from 35.5% to 32.7% reduced quotas reception for other areas.

Quotas are not the only tool the state relies on to encourage the youth to move toward their goals. In the classifier of higher education approved in 2011, their number decreased from 228 to 165, and the master’s specialties – from 1,200 to 500 by combining related specialties and eliminating unclaimed in the fields of economy and social sphere. However, in the direction of higher education institutions, training is reviewed annually based on the needs of the economy. For example, this year at various universities 18 new areas of education were introduced, mostly at the Tashkent State Technical University.

An optimization of the share of the grant slots in all areas of education at a fixed quota of the total intake occurred. According to the “Engineering, manufacturing and construction industries”, as well as science and natural science professions they increased from 35% in 2010/2011 to 40-45% in the 2015/2016 academic year, due to the reduction of seats in areas of “Economy and Business”, “Law”, which also became an effective tool to sensitize students to technical areas.

There has been a gradual shift of the volume of training in regional universities. Training in the vicinity of employers creates favorable conditions for high-quality targeted training of students, as teachers and students are the most convenient for contact with the employer.

Who teaches?

A lot of attention is paid to specialist training for universities. Updates will occur with the arrival of young teachers in the classroom at the same time and they must be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the time. Therefore, large-scale reforms of the system of retraining and professional development of teachers were conducted.

To speedily address problems, universities set up courses aimed at boosting foreign language skills and information and communication technology skills. The system of specialists retraining underwent reforms too. Today, every teacher should improve their qualifications once every three years.

Methodical management of all agencies is carried out by the head scientific and methodological center of the organization of retraining and advanced training of teaching and managerial personnel of higher education. Experts of the center carried out extensive work on the improvement of curricula and programs, the development of scientific and methodological materials. Strict control over the timely passage of refresher courses by every teacher has been introduced.

Teacher qualification improvement is carried out by five regional and 16 cross-sector centers. The regional centers operate at state universities and work to improve teachers’ qualifications in general education disciplines. The cross-sectoral ones, as a rule, were set up at universities and work to improve the qualifications of teachers in professional disciplines.

In professional retraining, a lot of attention is paid to the constant work of teachers on their professional level, so that they are aware of the development of science and technology. Students are provided with educational literature and books that will become their desktop directories.

For example, the cross-sector center of retraining and advanced training at the State Institute of Arts and Culture of Uzbekistan in cooperation with foreign experts carries out the process of refining curricula and programs for a new system of teaching based on the study and analysis of foreign experience made in the curricula of Art Marketing, Art Management and Modern trends in conducting.

Foreign teachers are presently involved not only in working on textbooks and teaching material but also in conducting classes. This contributes to speedy introduction of advanced highly effective teaching techniques in practice.  Furthermore, the number of young lecturers fresh from internships at overseas schools has increased markedly.

In the improvement of the system of teaching, significant attention paid to the creation of incentives for teachers. An improved remuneration system has been improved; a six-tier system of establishing the basic salaries of teaching staff has been introduced instead of the nine-layer system.  Specialists have implemented objective criteria for evaluating the improvement of teaching methods, spiritual, educational and educational work, scientific research, taking into account the experience of scientific and pedagogical work. A system of promotion by distinguished professors of the payment of monthly allowances from the rector’s fund has been put in place.

What do they teach?

The level of specialist training is largely determined not only by the qualifications of teachers and curriculum requirements, but also the infrastructure of the institution. Great changes have occurred in this area as well.

The development of the university infrastructure receives a lot of attention as well. The renovated buildings have been furnished with modern furniture, teaching and lab equipment. As many as 296 modern training labs have created and they help students gain not only theoretical but also practical skills.

Schools have created conditions for sports and work information and resource centers. Comfort steel Student residences have also become more comfortable. They are equipped with appliances and everything necessary for living.

The focus of attention is information resource centers. In contrast to the usual library, next to the print versions of the books side by side, and electronic versions of textbooks. Teachers in each direction of education have created educational-methodical complexes, all the information collected in them and recommendations as may be necessary to the student in the learning process. In recent years embarked on a radical renewal funds university information resource centers. Approved by the multi-year plan for the purchase of textbooks abroad, work began on translating the best foreign textbooks in Uzbek and Russian languages.

The content of the educational process has been altered by computers that have reached 100 from previous fifteen. Students are being taught to use information technologies not only as a source of knowledge but also as a working tool.

Today, the outcomes of the development of higher education are being felt and a new strategy for coming years is being created. In particular, it became know recently that the council of executive directors of the World Bank have approved a $42.2 million loan of the International Associatrion of Development for the project “Modernization of Higher Education in Uzbekistan.” One of the outcomes of the project will be the establishment of the Foundation for the Support of Academic Innovation, which will help upgrade the educational process.”

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

Ecology

The systems of collecting and disposing of the used energy-saving fluorescent lamps containing mercury are being further developed in Uzbekistan

Processing of their plastic, metal and electronic parts has been put on line.

Utilization of energy-saving fluorescent lamps containing mercury is a complicated process with the application of modern technologies and scientific achievements. Along with foreign developments these processes also include national work-outs and some of them are significantly more efficient and safer than their imported analogues.

The spectrum of application of energy-efficient appliances has been expanding with every passing year in our country. Production of domestic lamps was launched to meet the ever-growing demand. The lamps are manufactured at five enterprises of Uzbekistan. The energy-saving lamps produced at those enterprises are not inferior in their quality to the best world analogues. Their main features include long service life – more than 8 thousand hours of continuous burning. This figure exceeds eight times over the lifespan of conventional incandescent lamps. And they are also noted for their smaller – 4-5 times lesser energy consumption rate.

Neo Sun Light is one of the enterprises, which launched the production of import-substituting energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps. The enterprise’s designed production capacity is more than 15 million lamps per year, and it expects to manufacture eight types of lamps. Moreover, the company pays an increased attention to the quality and reliability of its product. All components used in the production of lamps are subject to strict technical control.

Thanks to modern technologies the energy-saving Neo Sun Light bulbs do not flicker and do not tire the eyes, they are noted for minimal heat emission. This help save up to 90% of electricity. Another distinctive feature of these lamps is their environmental friendliness, which is ensured through the use of the most advanced production techniques and technologies that meet all the criteria of sanitary, environmental and such other standards.

The company also established a system for recycling lamps. Unlike other companies, where the majority of components are destroyed, here they are divided into metal, plastic and electronic parts and processed subsequently. As a result, only the glass of the bulb is destroyed, while all other components receive new life.

There are other nine enterprises, apart from Neo Sun Light, engaged in recycling of energy-saving mercury-containing fluorescent lamps. They have utilized more than 210 thousand energy-saving lamps during the first half of 2016 alone.

ASP Selta is one of the largest enterprises in the country, dealing with recycling of energy-saving lamps, and it has its own proprietary technology. The process of recycling lamps used at this enterprise, excludes the possibility of leakage of mercury vapor and other hazardous substances into the atmosphere. More than 100 thousand bulbs were utilized only during the first half of 2016. It should be specifically noted that all the equipment and chemical reagents used at this enterprise have been designed and manufactured in Uzbekistan.

(Source: «Uzbekistan Today» newspaper)

Olympics-2016

Boxer from Uzbekistan Shakhram Giyasov won a silver medal at the XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio

Our athlete finished second in boxing in men’s welter (69 kg) category.

He defeated Youba Sissokho Ndiaye from Spain, Eimantas Stanionis from Lithuania, winner of the London Olympics Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo from Cuba, reigning World champion Mohammed Rabii from Morocco and earned a silver medal of the Olympic Games.

Another talented boxer from Uzbekistan Shakhobidin Zoirov, taking part in men’s fly (52 kg) category competitions, overcame Elvin Mamishzada from Azerbaijan and qualified to the semifinals of the Olympic Games.

(Source: UzA) 

 

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