MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Minsk is hosting the first Belarusian-Uzbek vocational education forum.

The focus of attention of the heads of scientific and educational organizations, representatives of ministries and departments of the two countries is the formation of an interstate platform for discussing and resolving a wide range of issues related to the development of vocational, secondary specialized and higher education, creating conditions for the formation of in-demand professional competencies of workers and specialists, ensuring sustainable development and industrial growth of Belarus and Uzbekistan.

In his welcoming speech to the participants of the plenary session, the Minister of Education Andrei Ivanets indicated that the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of the Republic of Uzbekistan put great importance to expanding interaction at all levels of education. This is confirmed by the agreement signed between the Ministers of Education in February of this year in Tashkent. The countries are now actively cooperating in the field of science and education, implementing joint projects on experience sharing, teaching and training of teachers.

“The education system of the Republic of Belarus is one of the largest sectors of the social sphere, with over 7 thousand educational institutions and more than 2 million students. It is also the most important component of the life of the entire Belarusian people. Currently, the national education system meets all the requirements that society and the state place on it, operates stably and is progressively developing. The main directions for the development of the education system have been determined until 2030,” emphasized Mr. Ivanets.

In the vocational and secondary specialized education system, increased attention is paid to the effectiveness of the training system for workers and employees in staffing the innovative economy. The main tasks are updating the content of educational programs; creation of a modern educational environment and conditions for the development of inclusive education; improving the professional competence of teaching staff; increasing the attractiveness of working professions.

The head of the department stated that an effective model of vocational education has been created in Belarus. 52 competence centers have been created that operate in all areas of our country. “Relevant ministries and personnel customers participate in the development of educational programs. This work is especially important, since everyone must answer how effective personnel training is today,” emphasized Andrey Ivanets.

In the HE system, the priority is to improve the quality of practice-oriented training of specialists, the effectiveness of interaction with personnel customers; developing the innovation infrastructure of universities and increasing the effectiveness of research activities; creating conditions for attracting young people to scientific and teaching work.

The quality of Belarusian education is evidenced by the increasing number of foreign citizens studying at our universities. Currently, there are about 30 thousand of foreign students from 107 countries. More than 5 thousand Uzbek students are studying at Belarusian universities.

At the plenary session, forum participants actively discuss strategies for the development of national vocational education systems in Belarus and Uzbekistan, share experiences and successful practices in integrating educational programs.

In the near future the plan is to work out the issue of organizing a scientific and technological consortium between leading scientists and researchers of the two countries and funding programs for joint scientific and technical projects; to facilitate the sending of teaching staff and research staff from universities in Uzbekistan, training personnel in the engineering and technical field, for internships in scientific institutions and higher education institutions in Belarus.

It was noted at the forum that the Belarusian side is ready to develop contacts between the youth of the two states and intensify joint events, especially since this year Tashkent became the youth capital of the CIS.

In this regard, the Uzbek side expressed a desire to organize the participation of students of higher educational institutions of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Belarusian student teams, organize practical training for them at large industrial enterprises and provide an opportunity for participants in student teams to receive a rank in a working profession.

As part of the forum, agreements were signed between colleges of the Republic of Belarus and colleges of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Breakout sessions were also organized at Belarusian universities and colleges, where competency centers operate. During the sections, participants reviewed the experience of Belarus and Uzbekistan in modernizing the vocational education system in such areas as: the creation and operation of competence centers, organizational, scientific and methodological support for their activities in a network form of interaction; aspects of spiritual, moral and civil-patriotic education; digitalization in vocational education, the use of innovative approaches in organizing career guidance and educational work in institutions of learning.