Shavkat Mirziyoyev presents his Election Program in Syrdarya region

Tashkent, The Gulf Observer: On July 6, the Presidential Candidate from the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businesspeople – the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with voters in Syrdarya region.

A proxy of the candidate in the region Pokiza Akhmedjonova opened the meeting. It was noted that the large-scale reforms carried out in the region under Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s leadership covered all population segments. The results of these transformations are reflected in everyday life.

After that, the candidate for the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev presented his Election Program.

The candidate spoke about his plans to develop the transport industry in the region in the next seven years.

“To increase the number of public transport routes, 160 new buses will be brought to Syrdarya region. 60 stops will be built according to modern projects. Thanks to them, conditions will be created for more than 600 thousand Syrdarya residents. In addition, we will upgrade the electric trains purchased 35 years ago on the Tashkent – Khavast route. To do this, we will bring modern electric trains worth $20 million”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

In the Election Program, special attention is paid to further improving the electricity supply in the region.

“Of course, due to the new production capacities that will be created in the coming years, the electricity demand will increase sharply in the region. In this regard, a combined cycle power plant with a capacity of 220 megawatts was launched in Khavast last year thanks to the investment of the Turkish company Cengiz Enerji for $150 million. This year, Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power will operate another thermal power plant with a capacity of 1.5 thousand megawatts at the expense of investments for $1 billion 100 million in Bayaut district and the city of Shirin. In addition, in the next two years, a consortium of French, Japanese, and Qatari companies will invest 1 billion 100 million dollars and build a modern thermal power plant with a capacity of 1.5 thousand megawatts”, the candidate noted.

At a meeting with voters in Syrdarya region, Shavkat Mirziyoyev also announced his plans to reform Uzbekistan’s higher education system and improve the training quality.

“We will develop universities in the direction of pedagogy based on a special approach. Starting from the next academic year, the training of bachelor teachers will be transferred to the state grant, the number of quotas in the master’s program will be doubled, and the state will fully pay for the studies. Schools with a shortage of personnel and low-quality education will be pre-selected. For them, a targeted state order will be introduced. In doing so, we will create an attractive incentive system for young people to go to work in these schools. As a result, by 2030, kindergarten and school teachers will have only higher education”, the candidate said.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev also spoke about his plans to change the student admission system.

“From now on, we will introduce the practice of considering school grades when entering a university. Next year, applicants will choose 3 main and 2 additional subjects, pass tests, and, depending on the results, can choose a university, direction, and form of study. As is known, we have granted the privilege to applicants with an international certificate in a foreign language not to take an exam in this language. Now we will extend this privilege to young people with international certificates in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology”, the candidate emphasized.

In addition, it was noted that, along with state grants, the practice of providing grants by employers and universities would be established.

“For example, if an enterprise with an annual turnover of 100 billion UZS allocates a grant for 30 young professionals it needs, it will spend an average of 300 million UZS annually. Depending on the type of activity within this cost, enterprises must pay 30-35 million UZS of tax. From now on, the tax base will not include funds allocated by enterprises and universities for these purposes. Thus, the struggle among employers to attract talented youth will intensify, and in universities – competition for the quality of education”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

It was reported that 5,000 professors and lecturers would be sent abroad annually to exchange experience. Until 2030, it is planned to allocate $50 million for these purposes.

“At the same time, every year, we will send 200 of our young scientists to defend dissertations in foreign scientific organizations with the condition of their subsequent return to universities to teach. The time has come to attract leading professors from prestigious universities in the world to the academic councils of universities”, the candidate noted.

In addition, it is planned to reduce teachers’ workload by 25 percent without reducing their salaries.

“We will continue reforms to improve working conditions for faculty further. For example, a teaching assistant’s average annual teaching load exceeds 1,000 hours today. When will they be engaged in science? When will they work on themselves under such a heavy load? Therefore, the teaching load will be reduced by 25 percent, and additional conditions will be created for them to engage in scientific activities. Most importantly, this will not reduce their wages. Teachers with internationally recognized professional certifications in their field will receive additional bonuses. In addition, practitioners with such a certificate do not require a master’s degree to teach”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized.

The candidate stated that 25-30 percent of the houses built in the region will be transferred to the faculty on preferential terms.

“I have another initiative. I propose to introduce the practice of naming departments, laboratories, libraries, auditoriums, and educational buildings of universities the names of professors and teachers who have worked in these higher education institutions for many years and created original scientific schools in their direction”, the candidate said.

At the meeting, the party representatives and guests noted that they would support the candidacy of Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the Presidential Elections and urged others to do the same.