On 8 August 2018, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Uzbekistan facilitated a meeting of the Local Education Group (LEG), convened by the Ministry of Public Education, Chair of LEG. The LEG consists of the various Ministries of Education and other allied Ministries, as well as International Development Partners’ Group.

The meeting served as a platform to present and endorse the strategic framework, priorities and programme design of the Second Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2018-2022, and discuss key aspects of its implementation. The Education Sector Plan 2012-17 was the first long-term plan instrumental in Government of Uzbekistan accessing a GPE grant of $ 49 million. The new ESP is an important milestone for Government of Uzbekistan’s reforms in education sector as it puts children and young people at the center of the life-long education process, and will contribute to improving equitable access to quality education at all levels.

“One of the key tasks now is to translate the framework into the sector-specific implementation plans with an effective mechanism of coordination and monitoring among all educational ministries,” said Sascha Graumann, UNICEF Representative. “The ESP should reflect long or medium term vision for the education system in the country and outline a coherent set of practicable strategies to reach Country’s education sector objectives and overcome the challenges. ” Sascha Graumann added.

Participants of the meeting acknowledged that the ongoing reforms in the country in line with the National Development Strategy 2017-2021 have accelerated improvements in the education sector. In addition, as Uzbekistan is committed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDG 4 focuses on different aspects of education sector, the country is intensifying efforts in the areas of early childhood education, primary and secondary education, technical/vocational and higher education. The focus, in addition to addressing access and equity issues, is also on inclusiveness and quality of education.

UNICEF, as Coordinating Agency, has been providing technical assistance to the Government of Uzbekistan and facilitating the consultative processes for the development of the ESP. The new plan was developed based on the Education Sector Situation Analysis carried out earlier this year.

UNICEF will continue working closely with the Government in education sector, including in the revision of the Law on Education, policies for inclusive education and teacher workforce development, and implementation of the Education Sector Plan 2018-2022.