During a high-profile meeting with investors and entrepreneurs implementing major development projects in New Tashkent, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev openly addressed critical shortcomings within the national education system. The leader bluntly stated that despite numerical growth in institutions, the actual quality of graduate specialists has noticeably deteriorated.

According to the president, every university must fundamentally reevaluate its mission, strictly defining which specific professionals it aims to produce for the labor market. In response to these systemic inefficiencies, the authorities previously restructured the former Ministry of Preschool and School Education alongside the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, merging them into a single consolidated Ministry of Education and Science.

Erkinjon Turdimov was subsequently appointed to lead this newly formed mega-agency, securing approval from the deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis while also taking on the role of First Deputy Prime Minister. Defending the appointment, the president claimed that placing a veteran official who previously governed four different regions in charge of education was a deliberate and calculated strategic move.

Prior to this significant career pivot, Turdimov had served as the khokim of the Syrdarya region starting in January 2025, in addition to his historical tenures heading the administrations of Navoi, Surkhandarya, and Samarkand regions, cementing his status as a seasoned regional bureaucrat.

Source: www.uznews.uz