Higher education quality improvement issues considered

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the report on the process of admission to state higher educational institutions, improvement of the quality of the higher education system and introduction of international training programs.

These days, entrance exams to higher education institutions are taking place. They are attended by 805 thousand applicants.

The responsible persons presented information about the plan of the state order for training in higher educational institutions for the 2024/2025 academic year. It was noted that this year the number of quotas in both bachelor's and master's degree programs in the directions of "engineering", "construction", "natural sciences", "mathematics", "information technology" increases. Admission to study on a paid-contract basis in state and non-state institutions is carried out under the same conditions, within the framework of the scientific potential and material and technical base of higher educational institutions.

The head of state gave instructions to approve the general state order to higher educational institutions, paying particular attention to the requirements of the country's development and the needs of the labor market.

Currently, the Termez Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Termez Institute of Agrotechnology and Innovative Development operate in Surkhandarya. Through their consolidation it is planned to create Termez State University of Engineering and Agrotechnology. This will make it possible to introduce an effective management system, reduce the number of duplicate faculties and departments, and optimize individual staff units. An advanced engineering school will be created in the new university.

The head of state gave instructions on attracting specialists with foreign experience, high scientific and practical qualifications to management and teaching positions at the university, and assessing the efficiency of their work on the basis of international standards.

The head of state emphasized the need to strengthen the integration of industry, enterprise and higher educational institution, to train advanced and competitive specialists.

During the visit of the President of Uzbekistan to the United States in September 2023, agreements were also reached in the field of education. Thus, the American Technological University is expected to open in Tashkent.

The university will train personnel in engineering, architecture and design, information technologies, health care, economics and finance, international relations. Students will be given the opportunity to spend one year of bachelor's and master's studies in distance learning. Graduates will be awarded a degree from Arizona State University or a degree from a foreign partner university recognized in the United States.

Organizational arrangements and further goals in this direction have been identified.