AKIPRESS.COM - The European Union and UNESCO jointly with the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of Uzbekistan (MHSSE) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) launched a new programme “Skills Development in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan” funded by the European Union, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan said.

The EU provided a 9.6 million EUR contribution to this initiative, which will be implemented by UNESCO within the period of 2020-2024 in selected regions of Uzbekistan.

“The EU Member States and their partner countries exchange best practices and learn from each other to make lifelong learning and social mobility a reality; to improve the quality and efficiency of education and training; to promote equity, social cohesion and active citizenship; and to enhance creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. I truly believe that the new EU-UNESCO programme will improve quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the vocational education and training (VET) system in modernised agriculture sector and contribute to the recent reforms initiated by Uzbekistan in the education sector,” says H.E. Eduards Stiprais, Ambassador of the European Union to Uzbekistan.

In the context of this initiative, UNESCO will provide assistance in developing, testing and piloting new initiatives and approaches, including the training of teachers and trainers in the agriculture and irrigation sectors with a view to scaling up transversal methods, high-technology agriculture and food processing, and innovative approaches throughout the country.