Science and Education are the Engines of Progress in Uzbekistan
Events taking place in the world, rapidly changing politics, waves of mutual contradictions require more attention to issues of science, education and spirituality. For only those who are spiritually mature, possess modern knowledge and love their Motherland can live in conditions of progress. Raising a generation with a high intellectual level and its entry into all levels of society will lead to the renewal and development of spheres.
The great philosopher Confucius was right when he said: “Ignorance is the darkest night for mankind.” Knowledge and science elevate a person, but ignorance drags him down. Therefore, a society that thinks about a prosperous future gives knowledge to the younger generation.
It is no coincidence that our Jadid ancestors believed that the fundamental basis for leading the country out of illiteracy was education.
The construction of the foundation of the third Renaissance in Uzbekistan has become a reality. How strong it will be depends on the young people, who have national pride and high spirituality, know the basics of modern sciences, foreign languages, and the secrets of their professions. This means that schools, universities, and teachers must change according to the times; they must update their working methods and organization of the educational process. There is no other way.
As an example of how education changed the fate of states, we can cite Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, which were called the “Asian tigers.” These were countries whose economies were in decline, and they achieved independence with great difficulty. To improve the situation, these states began with education reform.
In the modern world, how developed science is in a particular country can be determined by the number of high technologies exported. For example, in Singapore, 58 percent of goods exported in a year are high-tech. If we want to further strengthen our place in the world, we must first of all pay attention to the development of science and education.
A resource whose value is increasing
A competitive product appears in the educational services market as a result of the training of qualified personnel. Human capital is a resource whose value is growing in the modern economy.
To develop human capital, we must get rid of prejudices. According to statistics, an average of 300 thousand weddings are held in Uzbekistan per year. The costs for them amount to almost three billion dollars. A hundred years ago, the famous educator Mahmudhoja Behbudi wrote: “Use the money you spend on weddings to get an education!” Now, although times have changed, these trends still continue to remain with us. In the current renewing country, it is extremely important to correct this in the national mentality.
Mahmudhoja Behbudi called for people who govern the state to pay more attention to education. Knowledge is success in all spheres, and lack of education destroys not only the person himself, but also the entire society.
Issues of science and education are always relevant. In the current age of progress, young people should be raised as harmoniously developed personalities.
An educated person will not be deceived by an alien idea. So raising children at the level of modern requirements is a high responsibility for each of us. A young man in our time must be physically healthy and spiritually mature, proficient in a profession and modern technologies. Only then will it be possible to achieve the intended goals.
The path of the Jadids is an example for us
A person must be able to use the intelligence and knowledge given to him, be aware of scientific inventions appearing in the world, and implement them.
Why are some countries at the forefront of technological development and advanced? Because they didn’t go with the flow, but chose the difficult and thorny path of scientific research. Although they encountered losses and difficulties along the way, they still strived forward towards a certain goal.
The great enlightener Mahmudhoja Behbudi remained faithful to the position: “Only by realizing themselves, our people can resolve socio-political issues on an equal basis with others.” The Jadid ancestors paid great attention to the development of science. This was also discussed at the international conference dedicated to the Jadidism movement held in Tashkent.
By choosing the path of the Jadids, we lay claim to a new life. To develop the country, it is necessary, first of all, to strengthen the consciousness and thinking of the people. And this is the path of enlightenment.
History is our teacher. It shows what we did right and what we did wrong. If the education sector does not change today, the future may become unstable. Therefore, this issue is being raised at the state level.
Harmony of education and practice
From the very beginning of independence, we had to take special care of education, prepare and value strong personnel and specialists. Only now do we realize that the basis of progress in the country lies in science and education.
Developed countries have properly established systems and institutions that perform their functions. We need them too. Faith in the future is necessary. We have pessimistic views. Some young people think that they need to go abroad and everything will be fine. This situation can only be corrected with the help of a well-organized education system.
It is important to change the attitude towards child development in the family and school. Parents, teachers and mentors must see each child as an individual. Based on this requirement, we must raise children to be perfect individuals who can think independently and deeply. This requires a close relationship between the processes of training and education.
Currently, fundamental reforms are being carried out in the education system. Presidential and creative schools are opening, schools specializing in individual subjects – mathematics, chemistry, biology, which is a completely new system. The number of organizations training young people in information technology is increasing. The first fruits of this work are already visible. The number of boys and girls studying on a grant basis at leading universities in the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, and South Korea is growing. In order to support young people, the construction of technology parks continues. As part of the One Million Programmers project, thousands of young men and women are taught the basics of computer programming for free. To develop the leadership abilities of young people, increase their activity, provide comprehensive support, as well as popularize best practices, competitions and competitions are held. This helps to further increase their intellectual potential and organizational abilities.
In the context of globalization, young people are required to have a strong knowledge of information technology.
Innovation in technology is the need of the hour
In order for the country to achieve economic sustainability and be able to develop industry, it is necessary to increase attention to technology, especially the field of engineering. European countries, through the IT sector and technology development, are forming promising programs and theories and achieving their widespread implementation in practice. As a result, there are promising opportunities for making well-thought-out decisions based on the modern economy.
The field of engineering is closely related to economics in the production of technological equipment and machines necessary for sectors of the economy.
Innovations in the field increase the export potential of countries. In our republic, special emphasis is placed on providing employment through the technological development of the modern economy, reducing poverty and increasing human capital.
It is necessary to attract foreign specialists, develop directions and programs for schools, and expand industrial cooperation. It is also necessary to implement localization projects with government funding, accelerate the development of industry, and introduce advanced foreign experience into the process of training engineers. It is envisaged that engineering schools will be provided with modern textbooks based on international educational programs. Students will receive national and international certificates in at least one foreign language. For internships directly at the enterprise, high school students will be assigned to departments of research institutes and higher educational institutions in their specialty.
The head of state indicated that it is necessary to effectively use the capabilities of more than 700 vocational schools and colleges. On this basis, one technical school in each region is implementing European standards of vocational education. In particular, engineering schools are organized together with prestigious international organizations in the fields of the chemical industry, electrical engineering, transport and energy. Modern educational institutions for training engineers inspire confidence that in the future the fields of engineering and technology in the country will develop rapidly.
The rapid growth in the field of engineering will require a skilled workforce to operate and maintain modern machines and mechanisms. This will open up opportunities for employment. In this direction, the role of scientific research in higher education is important. From this point of view, the training of specialists with intellectual potential is becoming increasingly important.
The desire for science and education, reverence for family, moral purity, respect for elders, care for the younger, devotion to values - all these best traits have long been inherent in our people, our nation. We are obliged to protect this priceless heritage, increase it and pass it on to future generations. If today we don’t start training and educating young people and solving their problems, then tomorrow it will be too late. After all, the development of society is determined by the attitude towards science and education. This is a truth that does not require proof.
