Professor Tukhtasinov Ilkhomjon Madaminovich
The most important condition for the systemic reform of all levels of education in our country, in particular public education, is the promotion of the spiritual, moral, and intellectual development of the younger generation to a qualitatively new level. This, in turn, promotes the use of innovative teaching methods in the educational process.
It is known that in recent years, systematic work has been carried out in the country to improve the quality and efficiency of the education system, the formation of modern knowledge and skills among kindergarten students and students, to strengthen the integration of the education system and the field of science, as well as to ensure the integrity and continuity of education.
In particular, in 2021, a lot of effective work was organized at the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages. For example: in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
“On measures to raise the popularization of learning foreign languages to a qualitatively new level,” the admission quotas to our institute were increased by two times, and the admission under the state grant (scholarships) increased by three times.
In the 2021/2022 academic year, 2,350 admission quotas were allocated for full-time bachelor’s programs, 575 for evening programs, and 287 for master’s programs.
Since the 2021/2022 academic year, to cover the youth of remote regions with higher education, specialized faculties of “foreign languages” have been established for preparation in the Payarik and Narpay districts, each of which has been allocated 75 admission quotas.
In addition, several new fields of education were opened in the 2021/2022 academic year. For example, in the form of evening bachelor’s degree programs, such directions as English, German and French are opened.
For the master’s degree – such fields as “Literary studies: English,” “Linguistics: Japanese,” the fields “Linguistics: Arabic” and “Literary translation” are opened.
Also, within the framework of joint educational programs in cooperation with the Belgorod National Research University of Russia, the activities of the 2+2 joint educational direction “Philology and Language teaching: Russian” was launched. Today the number of faculties in our institute has increased from 4 to 8, and the number of departments from 20 to 24.
Comparing last year’s figures with 2022, 2025 admission quotas were allocated for full-time bachelor’s degree programs, 950 for evening programs, and 287 for master’s degree programs.
The admission quotas for each of the faculties of “Foreign Languages” for the preparation of specialists in the Narpay and Payarik districts are set at 75 people.
Starting from the 2022/2023 academic year, additional new educational fields are being launched at our institute. For example, fields such as “Uzbek language and Literature” and “Computational Linguistics” are open in the full-time bachelor’s degree.
The philology and language teaching: Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, as well as theory and practice of translation: English, which will serve to improve the effectiveness of our institute and the empowerment of our future students.
Last year’s quotas have been retained in the master’s degree programs. As for joint educational programs, this year, we plan to organize double diplomas, that is, 2+2, joint educational programs for teaching the Turkish language in cooperation with the Turkish University Mehmet Akif Ersoy and teaching Spanish in cooperation with the Spanish University of Castile-La Mancha.
Today, special attention is paid to the issue of educating our youth, who are the future of our country, as mature, educated, potential and perfect personalities, and the issues of protecting their rights and interests are being improved following the times.
New Uzbekistan is truly a country of youth. Every young man and woman who grew up in this country has many dreams and goals. The initiative of the head of our state, as well as the support of our youth, will help them realize these goals.
Our esteemed head of state said: “We have set ourselves a great goal to lay the foundation for the Third Renaissance in our country, and for this, we must create an environment that will educate new Khorezmians, Berunians, Ibn-Sinas, Ulugbeks, Navois, and Baburs, and for this, first of all, the development of education and upbringing, the formation of a healthy lifestyle, popularization of science and innovation should become the main pillars of our national idea” and this words open up great opportunities for young people.
Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages carries out several practical works on the employment of students and the creation of opportunities and benefits for them, the introduction of additional jobs, and at the same time, the beginning of their activities in the field of entrepreneurship or to ensure their permanent employment.
Because at a video conference held to ensure the employment of students of higher educational institutions, the head of state, together with the (Hokims) mayors of regions and municipalities and rectors of higher educational institutions, noted the work that should be systematically established in cooperation between universities and the private sector and noted that 100 thousand students should be employed.
Following these tasks, it was decided to organize job fairs and internships for students, and business meetings in cooperation with regional governments and employers’ organizations.
As a result, a balance of students and young people studying at our institute is being created, identification of students in need of work and their employment, identification of vacancies in government organizations and work in cooperation with them, and creation of vacancies by expanding the activities of language training centers and business entities at the Institute, and we have defined our roadmap in terms of ensuring employment students.
According to the findings of the interfaculty survey of the employment center, which was created to provide them with work based on student’s interest in the specialties, it was found that 843 students studying at the institute need work.
Currently, regular meetings are held with these students with representatives of the working group, and efforts are being made to obtain work in the institute’s cooperation areas, namely education, services, manufacturing, and tourism.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages is the leading university in the region in establishing cooperation with foreign universities.
After all, until today, the Institute continues international cooperation with about 100 prestigious foreign universities. We also work with foreign countries to provide jobs to our students. For example, our cooperation with German universities and educational organizations is one of them.
To ensure the employment of our students, we have reached an agreement with the employment firms “The Simson Private Academy” and “Global consult” in Germany to provide young graduates with an international level of knowledge of the German language not lower than B1, first of all, for an internship, and then for work.
Our partners offered to prepare the candidates we sent for three months, to provide all expenses for travel, accommodation and three meals a day, and a monthly salary of about 1000-1800 euros. We have already started practical work on this.
For example, at a meeting held on March 29 this year, with the participation of the leadership of the German agency “Simson Private Academy,” the agency for the selection of qualified Foreign Languages Institute, an agreement was reached on the establishment of a center for professional retraining of graduates, in connection with which a memorandum of cooperation was also signed.
According to the purpose of the cooperation, graduates with a level of proficiency in German B1 will initially undergo an internship for six months in various fields in prestigious German companies.
Within the framework of dual education, graduates master the German language, simultaneously mastering the profession. This will allow graduates to acquire professions according to international standards.
Effective cooperation with secondary schools has been established, and our institute has 111 attached secondary schools in the region. One hundred one experienced managers and academic staff of the Institute are responsible for the attached schools.
To strengthen the material and technical base of schools and provide them with methodological support, new educational and methodological textbooks and modern fiction were provided in the amount of 54 million sums.
Also, linoleum in the amount of 2.5 million sums was allocated for the repair of the library of 78 schools of the Pastdargom district, as well as educational equipment (boards, tables, chairs, desks, study cabinets) in the amount of 3.5 million sums and also transferred to 23 and 107 schools in this district.
Over the past period, more than 60 million sums have been spent on strengthening the material and technical base of schools in the region at the expense of the institute. To further increase the level of inclusivity of graduates of schools with higher education, six language learning centers operate at our institute today. More than 2,500 applicants are taught foreign languages every year at the centers. Next year we plan to increase the number of applicants to the centers to 5,000.
Effective work is underway on the construction and overhaul of educational buildings. For example, currently, our institute has eight academic buildings, five catering complexes, three student dormitories, one academic lyceum building, and one vocational school.
The 1,000-seat academic building was falling into disrepair and was put into operation in March 2022 after an overhaul worth 6 billion 733 million sums. A 370-bed student dormitory worth 8 billion 301 million sums has also been reconstructed.
In addition, a 1,500-bed student dormitory, which was built for 35 billion 66 million sums and is scheduled to be commissioned in the coming days, and 3-story buildings of the Information Resource Center, which were built for 11 billion 931 million sums, are about to be put into operation.
We are currently planning to begin a complete reconstruction of our 1000-seat academic building in August 2022. In particular, our plans for the future include the construction of 1 outdoor sports ground, one indoor sports complex, one preschool educational institution, and one school with foreign languages.
In addition, in 2021, funds in the amount of 200 million sums were allocated for the repair of educational buildings, 100 million sums for the modernization of heat supply, and 100 million sums for the repair of the kitchen and gym.
Four Fifty educational and art books of 63 titles were purchased for the IRC Foundation. Educational and methodical manuals on teaching foreign languages intended for students of academic lyceums were published by professors-teachers of the Institute.
It should be noted that since January 1, 2022, 35 higher educational institutions in our country have received financial, academic, organizational, and managerial independence. Among them is the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages.
However, our institute received financial support following the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of December 3, 2019, No. 967, “On the phased transfer of higher education institutions to a self-financing system”, from January 1, 2020, financial independence has been granted to 10 higher education institutions.
Now this number has increased to 35, according to the Presidential Decrees “On measures to ensure the financial independence of state higher education institutions” and “On additional measures to ensure the academic and organizational and managerial independence of state higher education institutions,” adopted on December 24, 2021. Along with financial independence, following these decisions, academic and organizational and managerial independence was granted to higher educational establishments.
In developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, England, and Germany, higher education institutions have switched to the same self-financing system.
Before switching to this system, we are gradually switching to a new system, having carefully studied foreign experience and coordinated with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education.
Higher educational institutions that have achieved financial independence are granted the right, first of all, to set the price of education based on supply and demand in the educational market and to open new educational directions, to enroll students on a fee-and-contract basis, considering the scientific and pedagogical potential of the educational institution, its material, and technical base.
Another advantage of financial independence is that we will be able to spend the income we earn in the future on students who are from low-income families, helping them financially, and encouraging them.
If a higher educational institution is financially independent, then it independently determines the cost of training on a fee-and-contract basis. Taking into account the demand in the educational services market and the terms of payment of fee-and-contract funds of students, this can can attract domestic and foreign professors and specialists who can apply modern pedagogical technologies and conduct research in the field.
In addition, direct purchase of educational and scientific literature, textbooks, and teaching manuals from foreign countries based on copyright manufacturers, purchase and write-off of tools and other basic equipment necessary for the institute for the educational process, as well as buildings and structures, repair and reconstruction opportunities are within the competence of a financially independent institute.
Since we are financially independent, that is, we have switched to a self-financing system; over the past two years, we have carried out several works. In particular, we regularly work to encourage and provide financial assistance to students studying at our institute.
In particular, in the 2020/2021 academic year, the appeals of 3 students regarding the impossibility of fulfilling payment contracts due to their limited financial capabilities were carefully considered by the institute’s “commission,” and each of them was allocated 1,284,000 sums from the institute’s account to fulfill payment contracts.
Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages reviews the social status and family conditions of students in need of financial assistance to create conditions and support for families whose children study on a fee-and-contract basis.
A list of talented students, orphans, children from orphanages, people with disabilities in need of social protection, and children from families included in the “iron notebooks” list has been formed.
As a result, eight orphans and people with disabilities, 13 students were included in the “Iron Notebook,” 43 orphans and persons in need of social protection, and 3 people in need of social protection who actively engaged in public affairs (67 in total) received contractual payments and financial support.
A total of 104,860,000 sums of 3 to 8 times the size of the basic scholarship were paid to these students who received financial support at the expense of contractual and budgetary funds.
In the 2021/2022 academic year, a list of female students needing social protection was formed and sent by the Hokimiyat (government) at the place of residence. The Samarkand Regional Government paid a total of 78,443,560 sums to 11 students in need of social protection, and the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages paid 273,204,453 sums to 39 students in need of social protection.
In addition, financial incentives in the amount of 184,883,160 sums were given to 119 students studying at the Institute with excellent grades, and 125 talented, active and low-income students in need of social protection were provided with financial assistance in the amount of 129 470,000 sums, as well as orphans and persons deprived of their parental care financial assistance in the amount of 7,768,200 sums was paid to 5 students.
On the occasion of the International Day of Disabled People on December 3, 99 students with disabilities of groups I and II studying at the Institute were provided with financial assistance in the amount of 154,816,120 sums. In total, funds in the amount of 476,937,480 sums were spent as financial assistance to 348 students.
This academic year, a competition was announced among the students of the academic lyceum, in which 35 of the most talented excellent students were recommended, 25 – for a Rector’s scholarship, 10 – for a scholarship. “The Pride of our Academic Lyceum.”
Students who received the scholarship “The Pride of our Academic Lyceum” were able to receive a scholarship in the amount of 540,000 sums once, and applicants for the “Rector’s Scholarship” – a scholarship in the amount of 155 000 sums for six months.
To adequately encourage the work of the teaching staff of the academic Lyceum of Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, ten teaching staff whose students won prizes in regional and republican.
Olympiads and had a grade of over 70% when entering higher education institutions, bonuses of up to 30% were paid monthly at the expense of the institute’s extra-budgetary funds. In particular, 98 million sums were allocated funds for equipping the academic Lyceum’s classrooms with computer equipment.
It should be emphasized here that the thoughts of our President: “We are lucky that we can carry out such great things that our ancestors dreamed of, isn’t this true happiness and honor for every citizen who is aware of his identity?
“it proves once again that it is much more pleasant to work and live in such a country. After all, innovations and changes implemented in a country where people’s interests are a priority give the human heart great strength and pride. It encourages a person to rise spiritually, and to seek wisdom in every passing moment.
Summing up, the President’s statement that “The New Uzbekistan is becoming a country of democratic changes, broad opportunities and practical work” calls on all our compatriots to understand what they should do for their Homeland, to contribute to the transformation of the New Uzbekistan into a prosperous country in all respects.
*The writer is Rector of Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Uzbekistan
**The Diplomatic Insight does not take any position on issues. The views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Diplomatic Insight and its staff.
