When will the "Science Competition" system be launched?

Is there a difference between the previous higher education system and the current one?

  After the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it inevitably affected not only the global economy and politics but also our domestic society. All spheres, from public administration to healthcare, suddenly collapsed. Among them, the educational process has fallen into the most difficult situation. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, the closure of government agencies, universities, colleges, schools, kindergartens, and protection from it by staying at home was indicated as the best solution. Work activities and educational processes have all been transferred to the online stage. However, at that time we did not have ready-made programs and training for online study or work. The only salvation was the "Internet" and "Telegram groups." However, all of this did not bring the expected result. Education has again derailed and found itself in a very difficult situation. Taking this into account, in order to completely update and improve the system, according to the "Concept for the Development of the Higher Education System of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030," approved by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated October 8, 2019, it is planned to gradually transition 85% of the country's universities to the credit-modular system by 2030. As a result, in the 2020-21 academic year alone, more than 33 major universities in our country were transferred to the credit-modular system. These universities mainly implement the ECTS credit-modular system. In this regard, the credit module has been introduced to universities throughout Uzbekistan.

So, what kind of system is the credit module?

•   The credit-modular system is a curriculum that meets all the requirements of world standards, recognized and implemented in higher educational institutions of developed countries of the world. According to the system, loans are allocated based on the number of academic loads in universities. For example, 5.6 or 7.5 credits can be allocated for each subject. If there are students, they will accumulate credits during each semester, and depending on the amount, they will be awarded bachelor's and master's degrees.
•   In the ECTS credit-module system, the annual loan amount is 60. Considering that one academic year consists of 2 semesters, a student must accumulate 30 credits per semester during their studies. Considering that the bachelor's program is usually 4 years old, a student needs to accumulate a total of 240 credits to obtain this degree, and 120 credits to complete the master's program.

  Credits are defined as the amount of study load that a student must complete. In the ECTS credit-module system, 1 credit is an average of 25-30 hours of study load. This means that if the subject is a 6-credit subject, the student will have to complete 150-180 hours of study load during the semester to obtain the specified number of credits in this subject (25*6=150; 30*6=180).

Is the system working properly?

  The credit module also has a number of benefits for students. These include attendance, class schedules, subject resources, and viewing other information through the online database. Another important aspect is that students can choose subjects suitable for themselves and their field of study.

  On the official website of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan https://lex.uz/ru/docs/-5193564#-5199760 Chapter 4 of the Regulation on Measures to Improve the System Related to the Organization of the Educational Process in Higher Educational Institutions, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, states that the planning of the educational process in higher educational institutions consists of the following stages. According to it, the standard curriculum and the catalog of disciplines are prepared taking into account the experience of advanced foreign universities, the reforms being carried out in the sectors of the domestic economy, the training of personnel, taking into account the requirements of their employers and national values, and additionally, there is a section entitled "Formation of a Catalog of Elective Disciplines."

  At this point, one question: Why is this part still not working? Perhaps there are some problems: Shouldn't this specific point work for students to attend classes, show interest in the subject, master well, and conduct independent research?

  Taking the current situation as an example, it has become very difficult to bring a student to class and keep them for 80 minutes (one pair). The reason is that students prefer not to go because they know they can't learn anything from the lesson or from the teacher. More than three years have passed since the introduction of the credit-modular system in higher educational institutions. To date, the system has been launched in almost 90 percent of universities. However, why do other functions work, while the most important and significant part for the student doesn't work? Among the students, questions like "Is it the same teacher again?," "He can't explain any topic well," "We spend so much time listening to the teacher's life and work." We often hear phrases like "We spent so much time listening to the teacher's life and work," "Let another teacher take his place!" Many students attribute their dislike of the lesson to the teachers' techniques. As Generation Z young people live in the age of modern technologies and artificial intelligence, they prefer to receive education from teachers who are even more qualified than themselves. Therefore, today's students cannot be satisfied with just a few teachers. We sometimes think that instead of leaving the old system and strengthening control over the quality of education in the new one, it's as if we're going backwards.

  In conclusion, it should be noted that if current students and their wishes and desires are not taken into account, then they will follow someone's established path and become independent "Brak" specialists in their field. We support the introduction of "Subject Competition" in all higher educational institutions and the free use of this opportunity by students. We ask the officials not to remain indifferent to this problem. Perhaps, through this, this right of all students will also work for them.