Thousands of people in the Surkhandarya region have benefited from expanded access to inclusive education

TERMEZ, 12 October 2023 – The EU funded programme aimed at ensuring resilience and preventing instability in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan bordering Afghanistan through enhanced access to inclusive education, social services and legal aid in host communities that is implemented by UNICEF has reached thousands of children in Sukhandraya, with expanded and inclusive education. Today the European Union Ambassador to Uzbekistan and UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan toured sites under the programme in the Surkhandarya region.

The support was given through the EU contribution of Euro 1,600,000 to support about 35,000 children, youth and families in a difficult life situation including Afghan people living in this region benefited from the improved social services including education.  

Working with the Agency for Preschool Education, UNICEF established innovative inclusive preschool facilities in communities that did not have access to preschool education. Ten multilingual alternative groups were set up within the public preschool education organizations in the city of Termez, and districts of Termez and Muzrobot in Surkhandarya region.

Currently, over 400 children (ages 3-6) from disadvantaged families, including Afghan children living in the region, began to attend multilingual alternative groups. All preschool settings were equipped with teaching and learning materials and child- appropriate furniture to create a conducive learning and development environment for children. Along with the establishment of preschools with inclusive WASH and child-friendly spaces, interventions enabled the introduction of a new model of multilingual education, identifying relevant best practices at the global level.

Today, H.E. Charlotte Adriaen, the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan and Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan participated in the inauguration of the newly established alternative multilanguage groups in preschools in Termez.

Following the inauguration of the preschool groups, H.E. Charlotte Adriaen and Munir Mammadzade visited a school implementing learning recovery and socio-emotional support programmes for Afghan students and children from local communities.

Out-of-school children have been supported to access public education. In addition to accessing public education, the programme is focusing on socio-emotional learning and inclusion. As a result, over 210 Afghan children have been continuously supported in Termez schools and received catch-up classes. The programme further introduced a new Teacher Training programme with strategies for individualized learning, expected to improve the learning outcomes of all children regardless of their background.

“Inclusive education is quality education, and quality education is inclusive. The new teaching and learning strategies and training programme introduced has enabled teachers to support all children where they were at in their learning journey”, said Munir Mammadzade. “Thanks to the support from the EU as well as the close collaboration of UNICEF and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, both Afghan children and children of local communities with learning difficulties have access to quality education and focus on the acquisition of foundational learning benefiting”.

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