We must assist the region affected by the Aral Sea crisis – Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva

On April 4, a grand opening of the first specialized pre-school educational institution in Uzbekistan with a rehabilitation center took place in Nukus city.

This institution will allow the inclusion of children with special needs in the socio-cultural environment, to cover them with pre-school education and provide rehabilitation. The rehabilitation and educational institution in Nukus was established in accordance with the presidential decree “On measures to organize a specialized pre-school educational institution with a rehabilitation center for children in the Aral Sea region”.

The opening ceremony was attended by the deputy head of the general directorate for organizing activities of preschool institutions and strategic development of the Ministry of Preschool Education Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva.

“I want to thank friends who have put all their efforts here and are here with us today. Let us recall the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, which have become the most successful in the history of Uzbekistan. They brought our team 77 medals. We are proud of our country and its Olympic team! And today it is great honor for us to accept athletes as honorary guests at our event,” she said.

Pre-school educational institution is designed for 120-150 pupils with disabilities. The construction and equipment of the rehabilitation-educational institution in Nukus was fully implemented at the expense of free assistance from foreign and local investors.

Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva shared why the city of Nukus was chosen for implementation of the first project.

“In the Republic of Karakalpakstan as of January 1, 2018, the number of children with disabilities from birth to 7 years has increased by 17.5%. We must provide subjective assistance to the region affected by the Aral Sea crisis. Thanks to an initiative and support of the President, the launch of this unique project became possible,” she noted.

“This project has no analogues either in Uzbekistan or in the near abroad. The uniqueness of the project is that it is aimed not only at rehabilitation, but also at education. To help children with disabilities in the early stages as soon as possible, we have determined the age of admission to our kindergarten – from 2 years. It is critically important to start a program of assistance aimed at the necessary stimulation as early as possible. If a child is defined in society from the earliest stage of life, this gives special results,” Sh. Mirziyoyeva stated.

A specialized pre-school educational institution in Nukus operates around the clock 5 days a week so that children from remote areas of the Aral Sea region can stay overnight.

In the first half of the day, pupils are engaged in a training program with educators who have completed advanced training courses in special pedagogy, and in the second, they undergo rehabilitation procedures under the supervision of full-time medical staff.

“We are very grateful to our investors, thanks to whom we were able to launch a rehabilitation center and a pre-school educational institution. Today I want to say thanks to all those who were with us. We worked as a single clock mechanism! I believe that our efforts will bear fruit, and every child, regardless of his needs and other circumstances, will be able to fully realize his potential, benefit society, become a full member and just a happy person,” the Minister of preschool education Agrippina Shin said.

It was also stated that the Ministry of preschool education will continue to work on the construction and commissioning of new specialized pre-school educational institutions with rehabilitation centers in other regions of the country.