FOSTERING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN UZBEKISTAN: DEVELOPING TEACHERS' UNDERSTANDING AND COMPETENCE

Recently higher education reforms in Uzbekistan have turned inclusive education into a core element reflecting the country’s commitment to bringing about equal access to all learners while matching worldwide educational trends that build such environments where every student has a “room to grow”. This, diversification, whereby every student is a benefit, is a principle from which the educational experience springs, and simultaneously the barriers that members of some groups such as those from the countryside or minority linguistic communities, who may need customized support to be able to fully join academic content, are also recognized. The inclusivity focus, therefore, aligns Uzbekistan's national education policies with the overall educational strategy of building a more equal and resilient education system which enables the students to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country by breaking through social mobility barriers. More so, it also emphasizes the country's devotion to international standards and conventions among which the UNESCO guidelines that advocate for inclusive education systems that acknowledge diversity as an intrinsic human right and a driving force for social progress.