On March 10, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation of proposals to improve the system for training engineering personnel in agriculture and water management.
It was noted that in a number of fields, science is gradually becoming detached from practice. In particular, during the implementation of some major projects in agriculture and water management, insufficient attention is paid to scientific justification and expertise and the potential of scientists and researchers is not fully utilized. As a result, some projects fail to deliver the expected results.
Currently, over 11,000 students study at the National Research University Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, which comprises 7 faculties, 37 departments, and 38 fields of study. The graduate employment rate stands at 93 percent. The number of foreign students and faculty members is also steadily increasing.
At the same time, the need for the broader implementation of a dual education system was noted in order to ensure closer integration of theory and practice in the training of engineering personnel.
According to the proposed new system, students will receive theoretical instruction for four days and undergo paid practical training at production enterprises for two days. Specifically, in the field of water management, they will have the opportunity to participate in projects on water conservation and the efficient organization of irrigation, in hydraulic engineering and hydropower – in canal concreting, cost-estimate preparation, and the construction of small hydroelectric power plants, and in the field of agricultural mechanization – in equipment preparation and crop harvesting.
It was noted that a significant part of the country’s water resources depends on transboundary sources. In this regard, it was emphasized that the training of diplomatic specialists in the field of water resources is one of the important strategic tasks.
The proposal to expand the “International Water Diplomacy” master’s program organized at the university and to increase the admission quota based on state grants was approved. The program is intended to train highly qualified specialists for neighboring countries.
The presentation also featured new initiatives aimed at strengthening the university’s scientific and innovative potential. In particular, there are plans to establish services such as monitoring cultivated areas using drones, crop yield forecasting, pest control, and developing scientific recommendations based on space monitoring data.
For this purpose, the university will launch courses on drone operation and establish a space research and satellite laboratory, as well as comprehensive research laboratories.
In addition, plans were presented to introduce digital management and KPI systems at the university, as well as to establish a personnel training system based on the continuous educational chain “school – technical college – university – production.”
In conclusion, the Head of State gave instructions to the responsible officials to improve the training system for engineering personnel in the agriculture and water management sectors, ensure closer integration of science and practice, and promote the widespread introduction of advanced technologies.