DVV International presents its plan for the promotion of lifelong learning in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The DVV International Regional Office for Central Asia, together with its partners, presented a draft plan for the promotion of lifelong learning in Uzbekistan at a policy workshop that was held in Tashkent on 15 August 2018.

The workshop brought together some 50 Uzbek decision-makers and experts, including members of both Chambers of the Uzbek Parliament, the Vice-Minister for Higher Education, international experts from Germany and South Korea, as well as other stakeholders from the education sector.

Together with the UNESCO Office in Tashkent and the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, DVV International has been promoting adult education and lifelong learning in Uzbekistan for several years now. The main objective is to enshrine the right to lifelong learning for all in legislation, and to create a favourable framework for further training, especially for underprivileged sections of the population.

A number of reforms have been launched since the change of government that took place in Uzbekistan in late 2016, and these also impact the education sector. Against this background, but also with a view to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to the commitments undertaken by Uzbekistan in this regard, DVV International and its partners are committed to realigning education policy in order to lend it a lifelong perspective. The elaboration of the concept now presented played an important role, and was positively embraced by the Uzbek authorities.

The concept underlines the importance of lifelong learning for society, as well as for the individual. Lifelong learning offers citizens an opportunity for personal development, and creates new prospects on the labour market, which in turn nurtures a country’s economic development.

The international experts, who included former head of DVV International Prof. (H) Dr. Heribert Hinzen and former Education Minister and Vice Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Prof. Shinil Kim, presented experiences from Europe and Asia, and considered the draft as an important step towards creating a common understanding of the importance of lifelong learning in Uzbekistan.