The Ministry of Justice, together with the Ministry of Public Education and the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education, has developed a draft Teacher’s Status Bill.

The explanatory note to the Bill says that at present in Uzbekistan there are more than half a million teachers in schools alone, with about 6.5 million pupils.

The draft noted that social, legal and material support for teaching staff and the creation of the necessary conditions for them are of particular importance in improving the quality of education. In developed foreign countries, the legal status and social protection of a teacher is also protected by a law.

The darft proposes to:

1) relieve teachers from paying state fees when applying to court on matters of protection of honor, dignity of teachers and actions of officials;

2) prohibit engaging teachers to labour activities, meetings and others not related to his official duties and professional activities;

3) grant teachers the right to a preferential pension, allowing them to retire by 5 years earlier than the generally accepted ages;

4) relieve from personal income tax the funds allocated by a teacher from his monthly salary for purchase of housing or a vehicle;

5) provide teachers with an annual paid extended leave of fifty-six working days, financial assistance in the amount of the base official salary for health restoration once a calendar year when granting leave;

6) establish a minimum base salary for a teacher and the creation of a system for payment of seniority bonuses;

7) free of charge vaccination of a teacher against infectious diseases during the period of their professional activity;

8) admission to higher educational institutions in the specialty of pedagogy for teachers, that do not hold undergraduate degree, but who have with five years of work experience in educational institutions.

The draft bill has been posted on the public services portal for public discussion. It can be rejected, amended or supplemented.