During the meeting, Abduvali Khaydarov, General Director of the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Сenter, spoke in detail about deploying the modern teaching methods, projects being developed to improve the skills of teachers in secondary schools and the interest of the younger generation in gaining knowledge. Director of the Center of Digital Economy Research Vladimir Kravchenko got acquainted with the video content developed for teachers and students, and web platforms created for the digitalization of many areas of education, and also expressed a desire to develop even more advanced projects in cooperation.

The memorandum is aimed at introducing promising projects for the digitalization of the public education sector of the Republic of Uzbekistan, creating favorable conditions for holding events, introducing innovative ideas, digital technologies and new initiatives into the education system.

Cooperation within the framework of this Memorandum provides the following opportunities:

- development and implementation of joint projects of mutual cooperation of the parties in the field of public education and information technology;

- organization of joint activities for the development, implementation and promotion of innovative technologies in the field of education;

- development of joint projects to improve the system of public education and participation in them;

A training seminar on the topic: "IT day in Tashkent" was held at INHA University.
  
This event was attended by about 300 teachers of Informatics and Information Technology of secondary schools in the city of Tashkent.

During the seminar, many professionals who have achieved great success in the field of IT shared their experience.

This event was organized by the Ministry of Public Education and the Center of Innovation, Technology and Strategy in cooperation with IT Park, INHA University and Samsung Electronics.

- organization of joint innovative research projects and analytical work in the system of public education;

- organization of mutually beneficial joint conferences, scientific seminars on issues of interest to the parties, practical classes, academic trainings, master classes, trainings, round tables and conferences.

The UNDP Regional Social Innovation Program BOOST: Innovator Women in Europe and Central Asia, announced the names of 55 winners of the accelerator program for women. ITSM will also participate in a 12-week mentoring and training program aimed at empowering women digitally among these winners.

BOOST is a regional program that encourages innovation in the following 4 areas:
– women when working with data;
– women and digital opportunities;
– women in STEAM and the Digital Economy;
– women are leaders in technological innovation.

More than 300 applications from more than 20 countries of the European and Central Asian region were received for participation in the program, 55 of them were selected.

For reference, the BOOST: Innovator Women program is supported by partners such as Koch Holding and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic.

An ITSM employee entered the TOP-100 of the republican contest "100 Ideas for Uzbekistan", nominated by the President!

“The My Tree” project, proposed by Farrukh Abduvakhidov, head of the Department of the Development of Out-of-School Education and Electronic Resources, won the final round and entered the TOP-100.
The total number of participants in the republican competition was 25,094 people, and the 100 best authors were awarded a special diploma "100 ideas for Uzbekistan", a statuette and valuable gifts.

This project is intended for schoolgirls, colleges and technical colleges aged 12-22.

Programs within the project are divided into categories depending on the level of digital literacy of girls:
- Online courses for girls just entering the IT field;
- IT camp for girls with an intermediate level of digital literacy;

- Mentoring programs have been organized for a long time for girls who have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in a particular IT field.

As part of the ICT4Girls project, we:
- Increasing the digital literacy of Uzbek girls
- In this direction, we aim to contribute to the formation of an environment that supports them.

The main goal of the mentoring program is to improve advanced knowledge and skills of girls in the field of IT. 

During the program, each participant will have at least 12 online/offline meetings with a mentor assigned by the program.

Each participant will work with a mentor to develop an IT solution to a social problem of interest to them.
At the end of the program, participants will present their IT solutions.

On October 15 of this year, a presentation of the project “Organization of virtual spaces, including online VR tours in Barkamol Avlod” children’s schools (hereinafter referred to as the “Virtual Tour”) was held at the capital’s specialized secondary school No. 110. It was attended by Otabek Djurayev and Farrukh Abduvakhidov, Deputy Heads of ITSM Department of Out-of-School Education and Development of Electronic Resources, and Ali-Zoda Abdusamatov, Specialist of Software Products Implementation and Technical Support Department.

Today, one of the important issues is to teach young people to use modern equipment correctly and effectively, and to get the maximum benefit from it, and at the same time to correctly interpret the concepts of reality and virtuality.

Therefore, the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center is implementing the "Virtual Travel" project, which allows you to virtually get acquainted with culture and traditions.

- The project, based on today's requirements, is aimed at improving the historical literacy of the students of "Barkamol Avlod School", using modern virtual travel opportunities in practice, and at the same time creating an opportunity to study the history and culture of foreign countries.
"Virtual travel" is intended to increase schoolchildren’ interest and enthusiasm for domestic tourism, to turn a virtual travel into a real one," said the head of ITSM's Out-of-School Education and the Development of Electronic Resources Department during the event. Otabek Djurayev, the leader.
 

Within the framework of the "Virtual Tour" project, which provides an opportunity to see and get acquainted with national and foreign historical monuments in virtual reality without excessive expenses, textbooks on cultural heritage and historical monuments studied by each schoolchild will be revived in short videos using VR equipment.

VR-journeys are currently available for the following attractions:

Registan Square (Samarkand);

Shakhizinda Complex (Samarkand);

Ark Castle (Bukhara);

Ichan Castle (Khiva);

Aksaroy (Shahrisabz).

By the end of November, it is planned to organize virtual spaces, including online VR tours in a number of "Barkamol Avlod" children's schools in our republic.

Abduvali Abdunabiyevich Haydarov, the general director of the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center, who is involved in the projects being introduced and implemented in the public education system, as well as international projects, was awarded with the commemorative medal "30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan"!

Edu Kids digests are aimed at the comprehensive development of school-aged children and consist of the following categories:

- "The most interesting";
- "History";
- "Life of great people";
- "Personal development";
- "About technology";
- "Why you should read a book."

The main purpose of cartoons is to motivate our youth to achieve success in the future and to work on themselves, and to further increase the role of parents, our society and teachers.

Today, in honor of the Youth Day, 25 employees engaged in effective work in the public education system, showing great dedication in implementing reforms, were awarded the badge “Xalq taʼlimi aʼlochisi”. In particular, Saidakhmad Jalilov, Head of the Department for Development of Digital Educational Platforms of the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center and Jasur Askarov, Head of the International Cooperation Department, were awarded this recognition.

On behalf of the team of the Center, we congratulate our employees on this success. We wish them not to lose their enthusiasm and initiative. Let each step in your career be accompanied by new victories!

According to the tradition of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Strategy, at the end of each month, the General Director of the Center Abduvali Khaydarov awards special certificates of honor to employees who have approached their work responsibly and showed outstanding results. Following this tradition, a number of employees were awarded in March for their hard work and dedication. Including:

Nodirbek Barnaev - for his enthusiasm and dedication to his work;

Alisher Rapiyev - for his creative and responsible approach to his work;

Malika Shavkiyeva - for active work in a joint project with UNICEF;

Feruza Khamroyeva - for active participation in the project "Teachers of New Uzbekistan";

Amrillo Abdusalomov and Azizahon Khojayeva were awarded for their active participation in public relations.

We congratulate all ITSM employees with their certificates and wish them success in their future work!

The main goal of the memorandum is to improve the quality of education in the field of natural sciences by identifying teacher-leaders who will conduct a cascade type of training. Upon completion of these trainings, teachers can improve their qualifications in conducting laboratory experiments within the framework of the national curriculum using world experience and modern technologies.

Within the framework of the project, it is planned to provide each page of the book with laboratory work with a QR code. This will allow you to go to the online page, watch a video and three-dimensional instructions for conducting this laboratory work, which will make this process easy and understandable for both the teacher and the student.

As part of the signed memorandum, the parties came to an understanding on the following areas of cooperation:

- improving the quality of education in the direction of the fundamental sciences by creating a methodological manual that will be interactive and understandable for teachers from remote regions;

- updating the lists of the necessary laboratory equipment for conducting practical exercises in accordance with international standards. This will allow you to carry out the maximum amount of work on a small amount of equipment.

- development of a special professional standard for teachers of natural science subjects by optimizing the list of necessary theoretical knowledge and laboratory work.

Also, as part of the implementation of the signed memorandum, an agreement was reached to popularize the study of natural science subjects among schoolchildren through experiments and laboratory work by teachers, as well as motivating children to gain knowledge through the use of a game teaching method.

The 17th World Education Summit "The Digital Path: New Directions in Education” started on March 25 in the Arab Republic of Egypt. General Director of the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center Abduvali Khaidarov is taking part in the summit as part of a delegation to study new initiatives and foreign experience in the field of public education.

The World Education Summit is one of the most prestigious educational events held annually around the world. The Summit will bring together experienced experts from international organizations including Pearson, Egyptian Knowledge Bank, Educational Research Center, International Arab Baccalaureate, Egyptian Scholastic Test, Discovery Education, Promethean, Innovera, GL Education and Teacher Created Materiales

The summit will provide an opportunity for representatives of the world's leading organizations in the field of education, international experts to communicate, exchange views and experiences.

On the first day of the summit, presentations were made in the following areas:

The need for young people to choose a profession that suits their abilities and a testing system that helps;
The importance of cognitive abilities in the development of children and their assessment system (CAT4);
Measures to transform the Egyptian education system into a modern education system to help graduates develop relevant life skills;
Possibilities of using high-quality standardized digital assessment systems in the educational process.
The 17th World Education Summit "The Digital Path: New Directions in Education” will run until March 27.

Today, on February 2, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the "Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center" (ITSM) under the Ministry of Public Education and Webster University in Tashkent (Webster).
During the meeting, the parties reached an agreement to establish cooperation in the following areas:
- Creating opportunities for Webster students to complete internship at ITSM;
- Providing information about vacancies;
- organization of business trips and meetings with ITSM management within the framework of the "Interview with Leaders" project;
- implementation of the project "Advice for Webster";
- Involve Webster students in ITSM projects;
- Organization of joint events, projects, seminar-trainings and roundtable discussions;
- Free Michigan English Testing (MET) for ITSM employees as part of Webster's MBA program;
- expanding cooperation in other relevant areas of public education.

For reference: Webster University of the United States of America in Tashkent was established based on the decision of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 4245 of March 20, 2019. At this University, personnel are trained in 14 main areas of undergraduate education and 16 master's programs.
Also, during the meeting, an educational seminar for students was held by ITSM. The representatives of the organization gave detailed information about activities of ITSM, plans for the future, implemented projects and internship opportunities.

As part of the “Translate the history” project, 130 children's books have been translated into Uzbek in cooperation with the UNESCO, Ministry of Public Education and the Norwegian Development Agency (Norad).

In order to exchange views about the first success of this project, an online communication was held yesterday with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Public Education, UNESCO and Norad.

Books translated by the team of Innovation, Technology and Strategy of the Ministry of Public Education have been submitted to the Global Digital Library (GDL).
Children of kindergarten and school age are recommended to read fictional stories.
 
"Translate the history" is a project launched in cooperation with Norad, GDL, Global Book Alliance (GBA), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and others, which is a tool for young children. Currently, representatives of the Ministry of Public Education and UNESCO are looking for interesting topics for children.
To learn more about the project, you can go to the following links: Unesco
Global Digital Library Address: Digitallibrary

A ceremony of signing a memorandum on cross-activity and cooperation was held between the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center (ITSM) and Amity University Tashkent.

The memorandum signed by the head of ITSM and Amity University Tashkent envisages cooperation in improving the knowledge and professional skills of Amity University Tashkent students.
After long and short-term internships, university students will have the opportunity to work at the Center.

In addition, within the framework of mutual cooperation, it is planned to stimulate innovative projects and creative research aimed at developing the system of public education.

LUKOIL Uzbekistan Operating Company LLC and the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center under the Ministry of Public Education organize robotics courses sponsored by Lukoil in secondary schools of Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions.
It is known that one of the main tasks of the public education system is to prepare students for future professions. Also, robotics is one of the promising fields. Based on this, the total cost of the project of two general education schools in the cities of Bukhara and Karshi is about $243 million. By the end of this year, robotics classes will be organized.
In the future, it is planned to expand this project and cooperate in new areas with LUKOIL Uzbekistan Operating Company LLC in the field of public education.

The Embassy of Switzerland in Uzbekistan allocated a grant of 150,000 US dollars to the Center of Innovation, Technology and Strategy under the Ministry of Public Education. With this, Switzerland joins the number of local and international partners contributing to ITSM's project "Improving Distance Learning for School Education". The relevant contract was signed on August 7.
Within the framework of the project, the educational online platform Maktab.uz will be created and filled with relevant lessons, as well as providing psychological and professional support to teachers, and, if necessary, computer equipment will be provided. The project will start in August 2020.

The article entitled "Uzbekistan: a timely response to school closures" was published on the official website of the World Bank.
As of April 22, the decision to close schools in more than 180 countries has affected at least 1.7 billion students, the bank's experts said in the article.
"Uzbekistan, like many countries, was forced to close all schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The decision was made on March 15, the day the first case of COVID-19 was registered in the country.
Two days later, the Ministry of Public Education announced the government's decision to provide online distance learning for 6.1 million students in public schools during the quarantine period.
The Ministry adopted these measures in time. By March 30, more than 350 video lessons have been prepared and shown on the Internet and TV channels.
An average of 100 video lessons are prepared every day, ensuring the continuity of education," says the article published on the official website of the World Bank.
The Ministry of Public Education, together with the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center (ITSM), continues to act quickly.
ITSM develops and implements innovative and digital technologies in the system of public education of the Republic of Uzbekistan: Presidential School, interactive virtual educational program "Edu Market", scientific and popular videos for children "Edu kids", Tashkent International Pedagogical University, and to improve the reading culture of the portal "kitob.uz".

The representatives of the World Bank highlighted the interactive educational program "Edu Market" widely implemented by the center, as well as the web portal "kitob.uz", which includes more than 1000 best books and audio resources.

Currently, the interest of the population in these projects, which are the only ones in the country, is increasing day by day. Both apps are among the most downloaded apps on Google Play. An example of this is the fact that more than 50 thousand people have downloaded the "Edu Market" application.
Source: Uzbekistan: A timely response on learning during school closures

More than 33 thousand English teachers of secondary schools in Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills within the framework of the new project English Speaking Nation: Secondary Teacher Training, implemented by the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan with the participation of American organizations.

In the framework of the new project «English Speaking Nation: Secondary Teacher Training», the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the American Organization, it will be possible to improve the knowledge and skills of more than 33,000 English language teachers in secondary schools of our country.

The English Speaking Nation: Secondary Teacher Training (ESN:STT) project is a program that improves the English language skills of school teachers in the system of public education. This program is realized in close cooperation with the American Council on International Education and the Ministry of Public Education, and it is aimed at creating a wide range of opportunities for professional development of English language teachers in our country.

Within the framework of the ESN:STT program, 15 000 pedagogues of general education schools and more than 1000 trainer teachers study methods that help to improve students’ knowledge and skills in the English language, and at the same time provide quality education.

This three-year program includes training of trainers and a cascade model of professional development of English language teachers in the secondary schools (preparation of a large number of specialists in a short period of time), training programs aimed at the formation of mutual professional support in the field of pedagogy.

ESN:STT works in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education, regional training centers and other relevant organizations, to create a team of confident English teachers with language skills and tools, corresponding to the global economic era of the 21st century.

The program is implemented in three stages. At the first stage, two groups of 40-45 English language teachers will be selected for participation in the intensive training program conducted by the International Association of TESOL (TESOL) and George Mason University (GMU).

Each group participates in the 140-hour basic TESOL certification program, including a 20-hour mandatory internship in a secondary schools of Uzbekistan. Workshop practices will be conducted by TESOL and the George Mason University in public educational institutions of our country for two weeks.

After completing the full training course, candidates will receive a basic TESOL certificate and will be included in the basic command of teacher-trainers in Uzbekistan. The most powerful teacher-trainers can attend additional training to become proficient ESN trainers and deliver the 140-hour TESOL Core Certificate program to their associates.

At the second stage, Core Teacher Trainers (CT) will train and mentor a group of Professional Mentors (RPM) of 10-12 Regions at Teachers Training Institute.

At the third stage, RPMs will train and coach 10 school students in one year under the guidance and coaching of CTs. In this way, 15,000 teachers will be trained by the end of the third year.

As part of the program, the top 300 RPMs will be trained by ESN's master trainers and will have the opportunity to take a TESOL Basic Certification. On this basis, they will have the opportunity to become members of the most influential team of main teacher-trainers of Uzbekistan. The main teacher-trainers develop the work plans and training materials of the team trainers. They are recommended to the Ministry of Public Education to conduct teacher training courses. CTs and RPMs will have the opportunity to participate in the 2022 Regional TESOL Conference in Uzbekistan.

On March 5, 2020, Minister of Public Education of Uzbekistan Sherzod Shermatov and President of EF Education First Carl-Johan Westring signed a memorandum of understanding.
EF Education First is one of the largest private education companies in the world that offers a variety of English education programs, methodologies and pedagogical approaches to improve the effectiveness of English learning.
EF Education First intends to invest about $60 million direct investment for the development of English in Uzbekistan
The Swedish company EF Education First intends to invest about $ 60 million in direct investments for the implementation of joint projects to develop the English language in Uzbekistan.

Grand opening of the interactive-virtual educational program "Edu Market"
On February 15, 2020, the presentation of the interactive-virtual educational program Edu Market was held at Inha University in Tashkent.

Education World Forum - 2020
For the first time in the history of British education, as part of the Education World Forum-2020 more than 100 Ministries of Education worldwide presented large-scale reforms in the field of education in Uzbekistan.

Edu Kids - an interactive educational program aimed at increasing the level of knowledge among the young population. The program combines a colorful video sequence with the elements of animation, stop motion, informational content and reasoned facts. A bright component, namely animation, will allow you to attract an audience of all ages while the educational content will consolidate the knowledge gained. This program helps to absorp information through visual and auditory contact. The content is diverse, and will teach kids the most interesting facts. Edu Kids releases one digest once a week, and each month is devoted to a specific topic.

Project "Modern Schools"
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 26, 2019 No. PQ-4537 "On measures to create modern schools."

Visit to Finland for Learning about Educational Innovations
Representatives of the "Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center" under the Ministry of Public Education visited Helsinki, Finland with a working visit on 4-8 November, 2019.

Now, using this portal, everyone has the opportunity to submit their ideas and proposal on the development of the public education system.

The main goal of the Robocraft project is to create training courses in robotics at the Republican centers Barkamol Avlod.

Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center under the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan launched the UzEduBot bot in the Telegram messenger.
The main goal of UzEduBot is to create convenience for obtaining information about the public education system of Uzbekistan.
Using the bot, users can find information and contact details of the Ministry of Public Education, republican institutions, regional administrations and the district public education departments.
Also, users of the bot can get information about general education and specialized schools with their addresses.
At the same time, users using the bot can easily find the location of organizations and schools on the map.
The new system also provides information on ministry projects, school estimates and job openings in the public education system.
UzEduBot users can regularly monitor the latest news in the public education system.

Edu Market - an interactive electronic learning platform has been launched
The aim of the project "Edu Market – is to make the process of learning and assimilation of knowledge more convenient and interesting for children. This is done through the use of interactive methods, correct system of knowledge by age, and transparent monitoring. This way, the gadget is not a self-entertainment tool only, but also a full-fledged educational instrument.

Development of a Public-Private Partnerships web portal
In order to create conditions for public-private partnership in the field of public education, to develop and consolidate their potential for the implementation of PPP projects, and to increase private investment in the country's economy, the center created a public-private partnership web portal.

On February 20, Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree “On measures for formation of presidential schools”.
The main goal of the presidential schools is to train and educate the gifted children of Uzbekistan using advanced technologies in the educational process, stimulate talented young people, as well as their continued support.
Presidential schools will be formed in all regions and in Tashkent city in the form of public specialized general education institutions. It is noted that in 2019, the first schools will be constructed in three places at once: in Tashkent and Nukus cities, as well as in Khorezm region.

"Kitob.uz" web platform
State children's library of the Republic of Uzbekistan “Kitob.uz” is a new and modern portal providing access to electronic and audio books in the Uzbek language, which serves as a mirror of spiritual wealth, culture and nation. 

State Unitary Enterprise "Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center" under the Ministery of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan established by the Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated September 5, 2018 No PP-3931 "On measures to introduce new principles of governance in the public education system", Order of the Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 22, 2018 No. 287, paragraph 12 of the Minutes of the meeting of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 8, 2018 No. 20532-xx, also established by the order of the Prime Minister dated 13 November 2018 No. 14 / 1-4141.