Saint Petersburg hosted an interregional conference of university rectors of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The main goal of the gathering was to sustain the positive trend of mutual interest in the scientific systems of the two countries, carry out large-scale projects, and train qualified personnel.
The participants discussed strategic directions for the development of cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan in education, including the expansion of inter-university collaboration in training personnel in economics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and bioengineering, the exchange of experience in creating engineering schools and introducing advanced pedagogical technologies into the sphere.
At the same time, drought prevention in the Aral Sea region was discussed. New measures were developed to expand joint scientific research with Russian scientists, especially the introduction of water-saving technologies in the agricultural sector.
It was proposed to send young scientists to renowned higher education institutions in Russia to conduct targeted scientific research and doctoral studies and to organize inter-university scientific specialized councils with the participation of experienced specialists from research institutions to train scientific and pedagogical personnel that meet modern requirements.
– Given that 2023 in the Russian Federation is the Year of Teacher and Mentor, the organized conference demonstrates the attitude of the partner country to the education system of Uzbekistan, – said conference participant, Rector of the Tashkent State University of Economics Kungirotboy Sharipov. – Noting with particular satisfaction the conditions created for Uzbekistan students studying in Saint Petersburg, it was noted that Uzbekistan is becoming an educational hub in Central Asia.
At the event, it was proposed to quicken the creation of new inter-university branches. At the same time, within the framework of the Russia – Uzbekistan conference of rectors, memorandums of understanding were signed to establish inter-university cooperation, and promising priority areas for training qualified personnel in economics, engineering, and other fields were defined.
At the plenary session, representatives of the two countries talked about the integration of the higher education system of Uzbekistan into the global educational space, the strategy of cooperation with Russian universities, the creation of joint projects, and essential aspects of their success.
Three important areas of higher education were discussed at the conference, such as “Education for high-tech industries: experience in creating leading engineering schools”, “Enhancing inter-university cooperation in training personnel in medicine, pharmacy and bioengineering”, and “Best practices in training teaching staff”.
Notably, the participation in the conference of 16 rectors and vice-rectors of higher education institutions of Uzbekistan and about 30 of Russia illustrates how broad the scope of cooperation has become. In brief, Uzbekistan – Russian educational forums are an essential platform for interaction between rectors and scientific communities of the two countries.
Abdulaziz Rustamov, UzA