On February 18, 2020, the population of Uzbekistan topped 34 million people. Uzbekistan ranks 42nd on the list of countries and dependency based on population. Reports stated that both sexes of children in Uzbekistan were among school children not attending school in 2019. Mobile preschools in Uzbekistan could help solve this issue.

Enrollment Numbers

Physical, linguistic, cognitive and socioemotional development in early childhood from 0 to 6 years old is a pivotal period. What children learn in these years shapes and defines their futures. There are 2,450,000 children in Uzbekistan and only 818,000 receive preschool education. In 2012, the preschool enrollment rate was 23.3% and lowest globally. By 2013, only 5% of households’ children in the country attended preschool. School enrollment has decreased by more than 50% over the last few decades. According to UNICEF, 175 million children worldwide did not attend pre-primary education as of 2019. Meanwhile, four out of five kids do not enroll in school in low-income areas in developing countries. In a child’s life, education is essential to their future and at an early age. If the children do not have that, it can have a devastating effect on the rest of their lives.

The Program

Mobile preschools in Uzbekistan accept children from ages 3 to 7 so that they can obtain preschool education no matter their living situation. Children who live in the villages now have the same opportunities as those who reside in the cities. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting on November 7, 2017, to expand the public education system. The program started in 2017 and the enrollment has jumped from 27% to 67%.

Just five years ago, one in four kids in low-income areas had no access to schools and other children had to walk long ways to reach them. Many schools faced a shutdown due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, while others faced privatization. The government concluded that providing school buses to schools could give out access instantly. Uzbekistan created mobile schools for areas where it is inappropriate to develop schools and where preschools are not available.

Every morning in the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, school buses head up to the parks of remote areas to bring the school to the children instead of taking children to school. The school buses provide small restrooms and solar panels to keep running every day. Partnered through a grant with Global Partnership Education worth $49.9 million and administrated by the World Bank, the project is improving.

Looking Ahead

Mobile preschools in Uzbekistan have helped low-income areas since 2017 and have no plans of stopping. The preschools have helped many children in rural areas go to school where children otherwise could not access it. Altogether, 65 buses serve 16 kids at a time that can attend three hours of play-based learning. The next day, the buses go to a different area in the community for preschoolers who attend every other day. Other countries can also utilize mobile preschools in order to improve education in remote areas.

– Alexis King
Photo: GetArchive