At a press conference on April 21, the leadership of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education reported that out of 259,636 classes nationwide, 13,500 have more than 35 students each.

First Deputy Minister Sherzod Karimov stated that to address this issue, the ministry continuously proposes constructing additional buildings at existing schools and building new schools. This would help reduce the number of overcrowded classes.

According to Karimov, the ministry annually recommends building schools in new residential areas based on 1.5 student places per apartment. He cited the example of the Qorasuv district in Samarkand, where land was reserved for schools during construction, and new schools are now being built considering population movement trends.

The deputy minister also noted that it is impossible to build on every empty space, as areas for student evacuation in emergencies must be maintained. The long-term plan is to have all schools operate in a single shift, allowing for extracurricular activities in the afternoon.

Deputy Minister Temur Komilov reported that currently, 200,000 additional student places are created annually from all financial sources. However, at least 850,000 more places are needed for schools to fully operate in one shift. The cost of forming one class, including teachers and equipment, ranges from 120 million to 160 million soums.

Komilov added that 934 schools have not been renovated for years and are on a “red list”; their total capacity is 669,000 places. Additionally, over 1,900 schools lack assembly and sports halls, with a combined capacity of 800,000 places. New schools are needed in 263 residential areas.

Currently, there are 1,197 school branches. Between 2020 and 2022, 629 branches built of adobe were modernized using the state budget. However, it is impossible to eliminate branches entirely, as parents demand that primary classes continue operating in them during the autumn-winter season.

Source: www.gazeta.uz