The development of adult education and learning system in Uzbekistan should be supported
by a consistent public policy. This policy can be based on UNESCO's recommendations (2015)
on five areas: 1) policy, 2) governance, 3) financing, 4) participation, inclusiveness, equality,
and 5) quality. These same aspects of the ALE reform and development are listed in the
(CONFINTEA VI).
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In addition, it is necessary to determine the priorities in this subsector for
the next 12 years in accordance with the Sustainable Development Program 2030, and also
use the accumulated experience gained at various conferences in Uzbekistan
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, which resulted
in the adoption of the final recommendatory documents. Analysing and summarizing
international and national recommendations, it is possible to propose the following key
milestones for the transformation of the ALE in Uzbekistan in the light of the LLL.
Policy and governance
The ALE policy should be comprehensive, inclusive and overarching, taking into
account different types and forms of education / learning and a wide range of spheres,
including economics, social sphere, culture, technology and environment. All political
decisions must be sound and rely on facts as evidential basis. Therefore, it is necessary
to streamline data collection in the ALE subsector and include it in the country's
statistics, developing indicators of participation and progress that can be used to
evaluate changes, and share best practices with other countries.
The ALE policy should aim to improve coordination, cooperation and governance in
this subsector. Creation of the National Council on the ALE and engagement of various
stakeholders (government authorities, academia, civil society organizations and private
sector) as partners, giving them an equal number of votes, could be a good initial
decision, followed by defining an agency responsible for the subsector or creation of a
new one. Transfer of the ALE competencies to the local and regional authorities would
correspond to international best practice.
The adoption of a separate legislative document regulating this sub-sector would
facilitate the development of the ALE in the country. It could be the Law on the ALE (or
a separate chapter in the new version of the Law on Education), both in formal and
non-formal education systems.
Introduce national qualification frameworks for education for the recognition, validation
and accreditation of all forms of education in the formal, non-formal and informal
systems, including the adult education. This would significantly advance the
development of the ALE in the country, make it more flexible, and remove the barriers
of the educational trajectory at the intersection of different sub-sectors.
Choose in the pilot mode a site for creating a learning area (this could be a city district
or an entire city) following the UNESCO concept of "Learning cities" (it is possible to
combine this concept with the concept of "Smart city").
To promote the development of lifelong learning culture, disseminate information about
its various types and forms, as well as existing opportunities for population.
Continuously publicize and promote adult education and lifelong learning in the mass
media.
Financing
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Framework for Action adopted at the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) in
Belém.
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1) Regional conference "Education for all – lifelong learning in Central Asia", Tashkent, 4-5 June, 2003. 2)
International conference "Quality Assessment in Adult Education". Uzbekistan, Bukhara, September 22-23, 2010
3) National Forum "Adult Education", Tashkent, November 15-17, 2011. 4) National Conference "Adult Education
in Uzbekistan: Today and Tomorrow", Tashkent, September 24-25 2014 5) Regional Seminar "Successful Policy
Development in Adult Education at the International Level", Tashkent, November 27, 2015 6) National Conference
"Rethinking Education in the Context of Current Reforms in Uzbekistan: Policy, Quality and Lifelong Learning",
Tashkent, December 14-15, 2017
Attract and allocate sufficient financial resources to support expanded and effective
participation in adult learning and education. Initiate pilot funding for the support of the
ALE programs for those target groups, the consensus on which will be reached with
the involved stakeholders / parties concerned (for example, within the National
Council);
Take into account that financing of the ALE besides central authorities could be taken
over by the local authorities, employers and the students themselves (trainees of
different courses). The government should play a key role, but local authorities are
closer to the needs of learners and can respond more quickly to their demands. It is
necessary to streamline the distribution of financial responsibility for the ALE subsector
and determine the competencies of each party engaged in financing, with a special role
assigned to local authorities;
Consider the possibility of implementing some programs for the training of adults by
non-governmental educational institutions with appropriate public funding (for example,
by introducing per capita funding), and issuing of nationally recognized documents
confirming the competence;
Encourage the collaboration and facilitate the optimization of different providers /
learning structures. For example, the Business Women's Association and the Chamber
of Commerce and Industry could refuse to run their own expensive centres, and order
courses at one Centre specializing in the ALE. This will allow more efficient use of
resources;
Facilitate the joint multi-channel financing and creation of incentive mechanisms.
Support, on the one hand, the "supply" (providers of education), and on the other hand,
the "demand" (consumers of educational services), thereby affecting the landscape of
the ALE. For example, at the local government level, the support of providers could be
to allocate buildings for learning activities free of charge or to provide institutional
funding, and support for the "clients" of this subsector could be to use tools such as
subsidies (vouchers and scholarships), paid leaves for professional training, etc. This
will create competition between providers and improve the quality of educational
services without the need for external measuring systems.
Financially encourage private companies / enterprises (especially small ones) to help
them regularly upgrade the qualifications of their employees and work out mechanisms
for reflecting learning outcomes in the biography (on individual "educational accounts")
of each trainee.
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