The Golden Fund of Our People
15.02.2025
The effectiveness of sincere communication is closely tied to clearly defining the tasks of today and tomorrow. The development and progress of any society depend on the upbringing, education, and activity of the younger generation. These very issues were touched upon during the conversation between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and representatives of youth on February 14. In the format of a videoconference, measures to further expand opportunities for youth were discussed. At the beginning of his speech, the head of state expressed his joy at the opportunity to meet with the youth again and referred to them as the “golden fund of our people.”
It was acknowledged that youth make up 60 percent of Uzbekistan’s population, and every year more than 600 thousand young people enter the labor market. By 2030, their number could reach 1 million.
In modern society, young people must possess advanced knowledge and professional skills. This increases the intellectual potential of society. Youth must find their place in society, participate in state and public affairs, and contribute to strengthening democracy and the rule of law. This is both the truth and the demand of the times. Young people need to know more about entrepreneurship and innovation, which will positively influence the economy.
It was noted that earlier, for every place in a higher educational institution, at least 10 candidates had to compete. Thanks to the rapid growth of the number of universities, today higher education covers 42 percent of youth, and state support for contract payments for women has led to an 11-fold increase in the number of female students. The number of young professionals succeeding in various fields continues to grow: more than 1,500 of our students are studying at top foreign universities.
It is clear that every country implements various programs and projects to support the younger generation. These include educational and scholarship programs - free education, opportunities for studying abroad. The meeting also discussed issues related to the development of entrepreneurship -preferential lending, financing startups, employment - special quotas for youth, and career orientation programs.
It is encouraging to see that the number of young scientists with academic degrees has doubled and exceeded 4,000, and the culture of reading has become a nationwide movement — the number of participants in the traditional “Yosh Kitobxon” (Young Reader) competition reached 3 million.
It was noted that special attention is now given to learning foreign languages: over the past 3 years, the number of young people who began studying languages reached 2 million, and the number of those achieving high scores on the IELTS exam has grown fivefold.
Over the past 25 years, the state program has allowed 800 young people to go abroad, and only in the last 7 years, thanks to the “El-Yurt Umidi” Fund, this opportunity has been provided to 2,300 compatriots.
Special attention is given to foreign language study: over the past 3 years, the number of young people beginning language studies has reached 2 million, and the number of those achieving high IELTS scores has grown fivefold.
Rakhimboy Jumaniyazov, Professor at "TIIAME" National Research University, Member of the Union of Writers and Journalists of Uzbekistan
