"What kind of citizen do we want?"

In 2020, the Ministry of Public Education began to develop a National Curriculum, which includes educational standards, curricula, teaching methods and assessment system. In this process, the main motto was chosen to bring up students to be competitive for a knowledge-based society, to prepare them for life. Unlike previous reforms, this time teachers were chosen as the main participants in the reforms. Indeed, when it comes to the Third Renaissance, the head of state recognized teachers as one of the four pillars of this new age of science.

 Over the past year, a draft National Curriculum was prepared with the participation of 246 national experts, including 119 school teachers, 105 professors and teachers from higher education, 22 science methodologists, as well as 16 international experts involved through UNICEF and USAID.

The first work is "What kind of citizen do we want?" was to find an answer to the question. Because if education is linked to the dynamics of socio-economic development of the state, schools will produce a workforce suitable for the labor market. The integration of education and reform, the link between education and new technologies, in turn, is the most effective measure against unemployment. From this point of view, a portrait of a citizen who is committed to the reforms in New Uzbekistan, takes the situation when necessary, makes the right decisions, develops the economy with advanced ideas, creates jobs, grows up with initiative and a sense of belonging to the Motherland.

Partner institutions have been identified for external review in each subject. For example, the new mathematics program was created with the participation of the Institute of Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences and British experts, experts of the Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, Phillippa Gardom Halm, author of the Oxford University Press, and Yari Lavonen, professor of the University of Helsinki.

The national curriculum covered the basic knowledge that students need to master in 22 disciplines. The subjects and topics taught at the school were studied critically and analytically. Based on the age of the student, the weekly norms in the National Curriculum on International Experiences, Psychological and Sanitary Norms have been reduced in terms of classes, and measures have been identified to gradually reduce the hours of study load. In the curriculum, the weekly load for all classes is set at 314 hours (in 2019 - 339). The study load for 11 years was set at 10,655 hours (-849). Also, topics in all subjects and grades were analyzed, and 849 topics that were found to be repetitive, complex, and outdated were transferred to preschool or higher education, excluded from the program.

The national curriculum includes topics relevant to international research in the assessment of students' knowledge and skills, as well as new educational approaches. Practice-oriented topics were delivered to 50%.

The national curriculum set a clear goal for each subject

From a dynamic point of view, an increase in the level of education is evidenced by the inequality of wages in society, a decrease in unemployment in a study conducted by the World Bank (Tilak, 1989). There is a link between students graduating from school with skills specific to the labor market and their future self-employment, creating additional jobs. From this, it is possible to see aspects of linking education with time in the National Curriculum.

Based on the skills that need to be formed in the student according to the needs of the 21st century, a clear goal has been set for each subject. For example, the student will be able to communicate orally and in writing through the science of the mother tongue, logical thinking and problem solving through mathematics, the development of research skills in the natural sciences, the ability to compare periods through history, as well as the causes and consequences of historical events. Informatics, the preparation of "user-generated digital content" is planned. Teaching methods in the national curriculum are based on the development of cognitive, positive behavioral and socio-emotional, critical and creative thinking, multi-literacy (reading, non-literacy, information technology literacy and media literacy), teamwork in each subject area.

5 strategic tasks before the national curriculum

In the process of creating the national curriculum, Public Education has identified the following 5 important strategic objectives.

First, to update educational standards and curricula on the basis of the current pace of development of our country, and thus to train the labor market in line with modern requirements.

Second, to update teaching methods by integrating school topics with preschool and higher education systems. For example, “project-based learning”, “student-centered learning based on individual interest and ability”, “collaborative learning”, “independent learning”, “play” that support students ’independent activities, abandoning the“ lecture method ”that is popular today in teaching. Introduce approaches such as “learning through” into school education. This ensures that students are ready for life.

Third, to ensure interdisciplinary integration and inter-class coherence. The concept of “interdisciplinary integration” first appeared in 1997.

Studying a topic in multiple disciplines makes the educational content more interesting and useful for students. For example, in the context of water, it is possible to simultaneously strengthen the student's knowledge of biology, geography and physics. While in Finnish schools, I witnessed students learn their knowledge of mathematics, technology, art, and biology in the process of cutting the various fruits brought to the classroom. Through this, they imagine existence, processes, and knowledge as a whole. Integrated learning is especially useful in project-based teaching. Also, as they move from class to class, the connection in the program makes it easier for the student to link their previous class knowledge with new knowledge.

 Fourth, to achieve the academic independence of the teacher. Teachers are important participants in ensuring independent learning. To do this, they themselves must be academically independent. That is, the teacher must be able to organize the learning process independently on the basis of state educational standards and the curriculum. But the analysis shows that textbooks have become the only template for most teachers today, they are limited to the knowledge in the textbook. The main reason for this is the lack of modern resources needed to acquire new knowledge.

The preparation of a "Teacher's Book" in each subject on the basis of the national curriculum, the development of new platforms for professional development in the public education system is an important solution to quickly acquaint them with the new educational content.

Fifth, the formation of a "school of authors" and the creation of a new generation of textbooks.

New generation textbooks - link science and classes, colorful and bright

Analyzes show that most existing textbooks were partially modified 17 years ago. They are mainly based on factual knowledge, covering theoretical knowledge. As a result of the transition of textbooks to “academic language,” the reader finds it difficult to understand the content. The main reason for this is that the potential of teachers was not used effectively in its creation. Also, the large differences in textbook topics from class to class had a negative impact on the quality of learning.

Changes in methodology and textbook content have supported memorization-oriented learning, with the result that knowledge, not life skills, played an important role in assessment.

In order to implement the national curriculum, modern textbooks for 1st and 2nd grades have been created for the 2021/2022 academic year. For the first time, a textbook for each textbook and student workbooks for primary school students were prepared.

In 2021, with the participation of 154 authors selected on a competitive basis, 326 textbooks were created. 46 professors, 101 practical teachers and 7 science methodologists were involved in these processes.

In the process of creating new textbooks, the formation of a school of authors consisting of young scientists, experienced teachers is also identified as one of the main goals. The participation of young practitioners, along with scholars, in the creation of the textbooks helped to reflect in the textbooks the goals set out in the National Curriculum. The average age of the authors is 40-45 years. Multimedia applications are being developed to teach students through games and videos.

The created new generation textbooks were tested in 14 selected basic schools. The process was attended by 40 experimental teachers and 937 students.

In addition, 100 trainers were trained throughout the country to improve the knowledge of teachers in the regions to teach on the basis of the National Curriculum and textbooks. 49.1 thousand primary school teachers were trained in new methods through the created in-service training courses.

The process of creating new textbooks in the coming years, their approbation and training of teachers in new methods will continue.

By the 2023/2024 academic year, a new generation of textbooks will be prepared for all grades, and by 2025 the National Curriculum will be fully implemented in secondary schools.

Education and peace and development go hand in hand from time immemorial, the three are drivers who serve each other. According to a UNESCO study, today 258 million children on the planet are deprived of primary education and have not fully mastered literacy and numeracy skills. Most of them live in areas without military education, suffering from military conflicts. At a time when the planet is experiencing such a crisis for student education, the peaceful achievements of Uzbekistan in education over the past four years are encouraging. It is no exaggeration to say that peace, education and development have united in the new Uzbekistan. At the heart of this is far-reaching rational reforms for human dignity.