School textbooks are set to be fully transitioned to the updated Uzbek Latin alphabet between 2027 and 2031. That's according to Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Azizbek Turdiev, who addressed the Senate today while answering questions from senators.
Senator Dilbar Suvonova asked whether specific deadlines had been set for revising textbooks, teaching materials, curricula and literature to reflect the alphabet change, and whether additional funding had been allocated for the effort.
The deputy minister said the Cabinet of Ministers still needs to approve a an action plan to implement the law. Executive agencies and the Academy of Sciences have already submitted their proposals, including the Ministry of Preschool and School Education's plans for updating textbooks and training teachers and students.
He noted that textbooks are already revised on a set schedule: annually for first grade, every three years for grades two through four, and every five years for grades five through eleven.
"Starting in 2027, once the law takes effect, we'll print first-grade textbooks using the new alphabet regardless," the deputy minister said.
He added that all school textbooks will be updated between 2027 and 2031 as part of their normal reprinting cycle.
"By 2027 through 2031, all of our textbooks will be fully updated. From that standpoint, no additional funding will be needed," the ministry official said.
The ministry is also preparing measures to help teachers and students adapt. According to the deputy minister, training seminars are planned across the preschool and school education system from August 24 to 28, ahead of the start of the new school year.
"Teachers and students will be informed about these changes and given the chance to adapt to them," he said.
The session also addressed which alphabet exams will be administered in once the reform takes effect.
"Once the law takes effect, exams will be held in the alphabet established by law. There won't be any issues on that front — we're ready for it," the deputy minister said.
He noted that elementary school instruction will shift to the updated alphabet starting with new textbooks, while materials for upper grades will be phased in gradually.
The Senate had previously approved changes to the Uzbek Latin-script alphabet. The new version will consist of 28 letters and a single apostrophe, replacing the current 26 letters and three letter combinations. Sh, Ch, Oʻ and Gʻ would be replaced with Ş, Ç, Ö and Ğ, while Ng would be dropped as a separate letter.
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