Uzbekistan     Population (approx.) 23 million   Literacy Statistics Overall: 97.0% Male: 98.0% Female: 96.0%   GNP Per Capita (US Dollars) $2,450     Source: The World Bank Development Indicators, 1996; CIA World Fact Book 1997

Country Report presented by Alisher Akhmedov Until this century, the Uzbek language was written in Arabic script. It was first changed to Latin script in 1924 and then, in 1940, it was altered again into Cyrillic. In 1994, the recently independent Uzbek government changed the official script back to the Latin. Under the Soviet regime, learning Russian was necessary for education and employment, though the majority of the population (75%) of Uzbekistan is Uzbek. In rural areas especially, the people speak primarily Uzbek (though there are several other ethnic groups who speak a variety of languages). While the new government has coped well with the transition, the disparity between Russian (a Slavic language) and Uzbek (a Turkic language), and the history of frequently altered scripts necessitates intensive focus on literacy. Since 1996, there have been significant efforts to increase skills in Latin script literacy. In 1997, the government of Uzbekistan initiated the National Program on Training Personnel. This program is a long-term project, which will increase the number of compulsory schooling from 11 to 12 years. The government is also making a concerted push to provide an adequate supply of reading and educational materials in the national language. Consequently, the country recently has seen considerable growth in newspapers, books, and other materials published in Uzbek. The entry of Uzbekistan into the market economy has also placed another demand on the provision of language and literacy education. More and more people in the country are interested in acquiring English and up-to-date business and computer skills, a demand which is receiving attention from the government. Links to Related Web Sites   Program | Participants | Presenters | Sessions | Countries | Links INTERNATIONAL LITERACY INSTITUTE Graduate School of Education/University of Pennsylvania 3910 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111 USA Telephone 215-898-2100 | Fax 215-898-9804 | E-mail: sltp@literacy.upenn.edu Revised: July 6, 1998