Tashkent Transforms Classrooms with Technology and Inclusion, and an International Project Redesigns Learning for New Generations

On the hot days of June 12 and 13, 2024, as Tashkent prepared for summer, more than fifty experts from national institutions and international organizations gathered to discuss a different future for the children of Uzbekistan. This was not just a conference, but a real laboratory of ideas, the second phase of the “Learning Pioneers Programme” project, which could reshape the face of education in this Central Asian country.
The initiative, the result of collaboration between the Uzbek Ministry of Education, UNICEF Uzbekistan, UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub and the Finnish Government, represents only the latest step in a journey that began years ago.

“In recent years, we have been working to integrate technological approaches into the teaching and learning process, an imperative necessity of our time. Instead of resisting new technologies, the best approach is to use them effectively to make learning more interactive. I am confident that, through joint efforts and collaboration with our international partners, we will achieve significant results in this field,”

he declared with conviction Sardor Radjabov, at the time Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education, during the proceedings. His words encapsulate the spirit of a country that, despite the challenges, is investing with determination in the education of new generations.

A participatory and inclusive approach: design thinking

What makes this project unique is the methodology adopted. Through design thinking, teachers, students, government officials and development partners were actively involved in a creative process aimed at identifying concrete solutions. It was not the usual top-down meeting, but a real choral work that put the real needs of the classes at the center.
Particularly significant was the participation of students with special educational needs, whose voices helped ensure that future technological solutions are truly inclusive.

“We want to prevent anyone from being left behind,”

explained a teacher participating in the work,

“This is why we are developing tools that can be adapted to different learning needs.”

Numbers and collaborations: the real recipe for success

The workshop saw the participation of important international actors such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the British Council Uzbekistan, UNESCO and the Agency of United States of America for International Development (USAID. This broad range of collaborations is not accidental: it reflects the complexity of the challenge that Uzbekistan is about to face.
With 30 percent of the population under 14 and a growing rate of urbanization, the country must reconcile several needs: modernizing education in cities, where access to technology is easier, but also ensuring opportunities in rural areas, where even today only 67 percent of Uzbek schools have a stable internet connection.

From Ideas to Practice: The Whole Journey Ahead

The next few months will be crucial. After identifying priorities, ranging from strengthening STEM skills to basic literacy, the program now includes an experimentation phase with pilot projects in selected schools.
Of course, there are challenges: from teacher training to adapting technologies to the cultural and linguistic specificities of the country, including minorities who speak the Karakalpak language.
Even the children of the Karakalpaks, an ethnic group that resides in Karakalpakstan to the south-east of the Aral Sea, around the delta of the Amu Darya River and east of the desert called Kyzyl Kum, have the right to a good and advanced education.
In any case, the pragmatic and participatory approach adopted so far gives us hope.

Capital Tashkent Races Towards a Sustainable Future

As the sun set over Tashkent at the end of the two-day late-spring conference, the mood among the participants was one of optimism, but also of awareness. The road to truly digital and inclusive education is still long, and will involve rigorous evaluation and continuous adjustments.
However, one thing is clear: theUzbekistan has decided to play a leading role in the digital transformation of education in Central Asia. And with the winning mix of political vision, international expertise and grassroots participation that characterizes this project, it could soon become a model for many other developing countries to follow.
The digital revolution in Uzbek schools has just begun, but the seeds planted during the second phase of the “Learning Pioneers Programme” project could change the future of millions of children. And, with it, the future of the country itself.

UNICEF Student-Centered Training in Uzbekistan

Here are three insights that might interest you:

Kazakhstan, a giant leader in innovation and sustainability
Switzerland's full support for digitalisation in Central Asia
Italy's Diagram Leads Digitization of Armenian Wine