Uzbekistan: Unlocking improved access to critical services
Forging a path toward digital transformation through DPGs that can improve children’s education and water and hygiene access
In Uzbekistan, results show that only 63% of children in grades 5 to 9 meet minimum state education standards. With pre-school education largely focused on care, rather than a comprehensive set of development goals, it is crucial to integrate programs and innovations so that girls and boys benefit equitably from improved pre-school education and enhanced basic education, preparing them for life-long learning.
Uzbekistan worked on the Digitalization of UPSHIFT in partnership with the Innovation Technology and Strategy Center (ITSM) under the Ministry of Public Education (MoPE). The objective of was to pilot School Innovation Challenge (SIC) among school children of grade 7-9 in Uzbekistan in 2022-2023 for selected regions of Uzbekistan. The project was then supported by DPG funds to adapt and translate the digitized content of the SIC platform to Uzbek and Russian, including instruction videos and assessment. To date, 30 videos are customized by bringing in social problems by children and youth in the country and examples of solutions developed by young people during offline UPSHIFT programme in Uzbekistan since 2020, and 30 videos were translated to Uzbek and Russian.
Revise preschool EMIS and develop information management system “Bolalar Bogchasi" for preschool education
UNICEF provides comprehensive and continuous support to the Innovation Center for information and pedagogical technologies under the Ministry of Preschool Education (MOPSE) in improving the data collection and management for enhancing evidence-based planning and decision making. In particular, with the technical support of UNICEF, in 2018, MOPSE introduced the Preschool Education Management Information System (EMIS) based on the OpenEMIS platform.
UNICEF supported MOPSE to develop an Indicator framework including list of indicators to collect data, manuals on how to use the platform at different levels, conduct trainings for specialists of preschools, districts and regions on how to enter data into the system. As a result, MOPSE has started systematically collect basic data on children, teachers, infrastructure, etc.
At some point, due to some limitations and restrictions of OpenEMIS platform, MOPSE faced several constraints with a standardized system in collecting and analyzing the information for Ministry’s own evidence-based decision making. Hence, MOPSE requested UNICEF for further support. In 2021, within DPG initiative UNICEF initiated technical support to MOPSE for EMIS by reviewing the design, developing, and testing of pilot version of the "Bolalar Bogchasi", the preschool EMIS system. This included developing technical specifications for new information management system platform, developing the first pilot version of the platform and conducting testing of it, incorporating changes based on the results of the first test and adding additional functionalities, developing indicators and reporting systems and developing of training materials and provision of training to specialists on managing the system.
The training materials (using guidelines, video lessons, and online workshops) were then disseminated among preschools, and preschool staff's capacity would be strengthened to provide accurate data for EMIS and interpreting results for self-evaluation.
The next steps for "Bolalar Bogchasi" would be to develop training packages for different specialist levels (national, regional, preschool) to compile, analyze and use data for evidence-based planning and programming and strengthen the capacity of national and regional staff to compile, analyze and use data for evidence-based programming.
Enhancing data management information system in general secondary education for improved policy analysis & decision making, including gap analysis and needs assessment of the existing data collection system.
Within the DPG pathfinder pilot, UNICEF Uzbekistan had initiated technical support to the Innovation, Technology and Strategy Center (ITSM) under the Ministry of Public Education (MOPE) for enhancing data management information system for general secondary education (GSE).
As a result, existing data systems have been analyzed and gaps were identified by collecting information based on questionnaires for key stakeholders, such as on existing policies and practices related to data collection, data management and data use in decision-making practices, terms of policies, data architecture, methodological soundness and utilization for decision making.
Based on the analysis of gaps and limitations in the existing system, a clear set of recommendations for improvement of the existing system included those related to legal policies, and data architecture was drafted.
Furthermore, a roadmap for developing a comprehensive EMIS for GSE has been developed, which will help MOPE to improve EMIS system. There will be additional support in terms of enhancing capacity of the different staff levels in accurate data collection, data analysis and use for evidence-based planning and programming.
