President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has addressed a meeting on the occasion of June 30 – Youth Day. Congratulating the youth of Uzbekistan on the holiday, the Head of State expressed faith in the talent of the young generation and admiration for their successes.
It was noted that the conditions created in the country for youth are already bringing real results. Last year Uzbekistan took the first place in Central Asia in terms of the number of students enrolled in the world’s top 500 universities. Today, 30 young men and women are studying in universities from the top-10, 500 in the top-100, and 1,5 thousand in the top-300.
Along with successes in education, Uzbek youth shows outstanding results in sports and culture. A special pride is the national soccer team, which for the first time in history received a ticket to the World Cup.
– If the eras of the first and second Renaissance were created by great thinkers, today history gives the baton to the young. You can raise the flag of Uzbekistan high in various spheres. You are a golden generation, destined to write a new page in history as creators of the New Uzbekistan, – Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
Special attention is being paid to young people’s access to quality education, mastering foreign languages and modern professions.
As part of the “One Million Programmers” project, 325 thousand young people have already been trained. Last year alone, 150 thousand young men and women received international language certificates – twice as many as in 2023.
In 2025, there will be 8,3 thousand projects worth $35 billion implemented, creating 292 thousand jobs. In perspective – projects worth $83 billion and the creation of half a million new jobs. This will require thousands of specialists in areas such as green economy, industries, energy, engineering and geology.
During the meeting, the President proposed important initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for the youth.
By the decree of the President, the Beruniy International School was established, where the best 8th grade graduates will receive in-depth training in three areas In addition, 3 thousand of the most promising schoolchildren, at least 300 of them from disadvantaged families, will be selected annually to prepare for admission to such leading universities as Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Cornell.
A new system of support from the El-Yurt Umidi Foundation is provided for those who enter prestigious foreign universities but do not have a full scholarship. Quotas in priority areas – science, technology, energy, architecture, agriculture – are being increased. Commercial banks will start giving young people soft loans of up to 20,000 dollars to study at universities from the top 300.
Special attention is paid to the development of artificial intelligence. 100 projects will be implemented in priority sectors – finance, medicine, agriculture and energy. The “One Million Leaders in Artificial Intelligence” program is being launched in cooperation with the UAE.
AI training programs will be updated in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and computer science teachers from all regions will receive special training at the New Uzbekistan University.
In the contest “Digital Generation: Girls” 120 startup projects in the fields of education, artificial intelligence, green economy and climate change, developed by 7 thousand female pupils and students, were selected. This year’s project will involve at least 50 thousand girls.
A startup support system has been established, with $145 million of venture capital already invested. In the near future, the volume of investments will reach $1 billion. The “hour of mastery and business” is being introduced in schools, within the framework of which grants worth 100 billion soums will be allocated for the implementation of pupils’ ideas in the form of startups.
The “Best Creative Idea” competition will be held annually between universities, the winners of which will receive grants of up to 300 million soums from university funds.
To turn startups into prototypes and test them, the Innovation Agency and the IT Park will open a Research and Development Center. The Youth Venture Fund will cover up to $50,000 of the costs of prototyping the best projects.
A system of professional development of young people employed in industry, services, entrepreneurship and agriculture will also be created.
It is planned to hold national competitions among young people in each field of professions with equal participation of state enterprises and the private sector.
The heads of industries will annually select 100 young specialists for foreign internships, for which 10 billion soums will be allocated from the funds of each industry.
Two separate programs have been adopted to promote the employment of school graduates and students. In this regard, “Alokabank” and “National Bank” have received resources for $300 million. Under the program “Youth Business” 100 thousand young people will be employed, and under the program “Step into the Future” – 140 thousand university graduates.
The Ministry of Employment, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Bank will launch by the end of the year a platform connecting graduates of universities, technical schools and vocational colleges with employers. An electronic system “Income in Motion” will also be introduced, which will allow 3 million young people to engage in activities that do not require qualifications during the vacation period.
Over the past seven years, the managerial workforce has been significantly rejuvenated, with the proportion of managers under the age of 40 rising from 37 percent to 65 percent. Last month, a decree of the President was signed on training promising personnel and their involvement in the system of public administration.
The Academy of Public Administration will train 100 gifted young people each year under the “Leaders of the Future” program. They will be assigned mentors from among ministers and khokims, and foreign internships will be provided. Graduates of the program will become the main candidates for managerial positions.
Fostering love for books, art and culture plays an important role in the development of young people. The winners of relevant contests will perform in schools in remote districts. The khokimiyats have been instructed to provide one bus each for this purpose.
The winners of the national contests will be granted privileges when enrolling in higher education institutions of culture and art. Winners of the regional stage of the “Iktidor” school ensemble competition will be able to study free of charge at children’s schools of arts and music.
The issue of fostering patriotism in young people and protecting them from harmful influences remains relevant. The “Patriots of the Nation” monument recently opened in Victory Park in Tashkent serves this very purpose. It immortalizes the names of 196 heroically killed servicemen and law enforcement officers who gave their lives for the peace and tranquillity of their homeland. It has been noted that a visit to this sacred site strengthens young people’s sense of love and devotion to their native country.
Uzbekistan’s youth policy has been highly appreciated at the international level. Our country has been included in the top ten countries most actively implementing the United Nations Youth 2030 strategy. Uzbekistan has been recognized as the most dynamically developing state on the youth development index.
The city of Bukhara has received the status of the youth capital of the Turkic World, and Tashkent – the youth capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
These days, the Global Youth Festival is being held in the country. It has been noted that this forum has become an effective platform for sharing experience and strengthening international cooperation among young people.
The President emphasized that he is proud of the knowledge and talent of our youth.
– Each of your achievements is an achievement of our people. Your determination, healthy outlook, happiness and success is also the happiness of millions of parents, mentors, relatives, – said the Head of State.