The year 2026 has been declared the Year of Teaching Modern Skills to the Youth, announced the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev today at a meeting with teachers in Bostanlyk district of Tashkent province, his spokesman Sherzod Asadov said.

“We must educate our youth not only in the spirit of modernity, but also prepare them for the future. Never forget: the future belongs to new breed armed with modern knowledge,” the head of state said.

According to him, US$30-35 billion in investments are attracted to the country's economy every year, new sectors are being launched, modern technologies are being implemented, thousands of enterprises are launched. Due to this alone, about 250-300 thousand high-income jobs are created annually.

“These jobs, first of all, are an additional opportunity for employment of our youth. But for this, it is necessary to master modern technologies and foreign languages, have professional skills and qualifications,” he noted.

The Professional Education Agency will be created to this end. The main goal of the agency and mayors will be to create a new educational environment and international standards in 598 technical schools.

During the year, 100 technical schools will set up cooperation with schools in Germany, Switzerland, China, South Korea, Great Britain and other countries, where advanced vocational education programs will be implemented.

Furthermore, any candidate with skills will be able to pass an exam in these technical schools according to the qualification assessment system of foreign countries and receive an international certificate.

Since the new academic year, 14 technical schools, together with the British company Pearson, have launched the international BTEC program, allowing young people to master professions in the fields of tourism, IT, medicine, construction, logistics, mechanical engineering, energy, biotechnology and the creative economy.

In 2026, 456 large projects worth almost US$ 45 billion will be launched in the industrial sector. A dual education system based on the principle of "Investor - Trade - Technical school" will be implemented in technical schools.

A contest will be held among technical schools that have specific projects with enterprises to create modern workshops. The winners will be provided with modern equipment for workshops, as well as sports equipment.

The coverage of dual education should increase fivefold, and enterprises will receive soft loans of up to 5 billion soums. The single social payment for students will be halved.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of studying foreign languages ​​​​for mastering new technologies and free communication with foreign investors. In this regard, the number of hours of study in foreign languages ​​​​in technical schools will be increased fourfold.

A digital platform will be launched in 2026, where employers in Uzbekistan and abroad will be able to see all the data on the professional skills of graduates.

Also, according to the new presidential decree, the position of a school counselor will be created in schools, who will monitor the academic performance and interests of students starting from the 7th grade and refer them to technical schools.

Meanwhile, 9th grade graduates will still be able to return to school. In 2025, about 200 thousand 11th grade graduates who did not enter universities will take short-term professional courses.

"What is the goal of our new initiatives? If we provide every child with a profession and income, then every family will prosper, and peace will reign in neighbourhoods," the head of state said.

A system of professional certification is being implemented to improve the status of technical school teachers. Teachers will receive bonuses - 30% for a national certificate and 50% for an international one.

Principals and their deputies will earn no less than their school colleagues, and for a managerial certificate in the "School of Directors" they will receive an additional 20% bonus.

In addition, technical schools will begin paying bonuses for academic degrees and titles. Every year, 500 teachers will be sent for internships in leading foreign educational organizations, and another 500 skilled people will be sent to enterprises abroad. At this meeting, the president also announced that starting from the new academic year, a unified state exam will be implemented for students in grades 9 and 11 in Uzbekistan. Based on its results, students will be able to continue their education either in technical schools or in universities. The head of state previously noted the low coverage of school graduates with vocational education.