Planned Project to Integrate ICT into Basic Education in Uzbekistan

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 March 2005) - ADB will help prepare a project to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into basic education in Uzbekistan through a technical assistance (TA) grant approved for US$600,000.

The TA will prepare an ICT development strategy for basic education and a feasibility study for a project that will introduce an ICT-based approach to teaching and learning in certain grade levels and subjects in basic education based on this strategy.

"ICT should be used not only to improve computer literacy but also, more importantly, to improve the quality and relevance of basic education in general," says Lan Wu, an ADB Senior Social Economist.

"International experience shows that appropriate use of ICT helps students score high on achievement tests, learn more in less time, and develop positive attitudes toward their classes and learning. ICT also has a potentially important role in ensuring access to education for students in remote rural areas."

While Uzbekistan scores high on education-related Millennium Development Goals, with a net enrolment rate at 99% and no major gender differentials, basic education is often of low quality and relevance.

A recent United Nations Development Programme report shows that Uzbekistan is still at a very early stage of ICT development. More than 80% of equipment is outdated, and there are insufficient computers even for computer classes, let alone for broader integration of ICT into the curriculum. Only half of schools offer computer classes, and many have no access to computer equipment.

A national ICT strategy, developed in 2002, aims to increase the computer-student ratio from 1:110 to 1:20 and provide Internet access to 63% of all schools by 2010, from only 0.2% now. The ICT development strategy to be prepared by the TA will help define how these goals will be reached.

The TA will take a participatory approach to build consensus among stakeholders on key challenges facing ICT development in basic education, and focus on developing targeted policies and mechanisms to help bridge the internal digital divide between urban and rural areas. It will also explore ways to promote public and private sector partnerships in ICT development.

"An information- and knowledge-based economy will enable Uzbekistan to benefit fully from a global economy that is becoming ever more integrated," adds Mr. Wu. "Such an economy will enhance Uzbekistan's competitiveness within the Central Asia region."

The Government will contribute $150,000 equivalent toward the TA's total cost of $750,000. The Ministry of Public Education is the executing agency for the TA, which will be carried out over 12 months to about February 2006.

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