KICK-OFF MEETING “TRAINING COURSE IN WATER RESOURCES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UZBEKISTAN”
A kick-off meeting under the project “Training Course in Water Resources for Secondary Schools in Uzbekistan” took place on 13 November 2004 in the ICWC Training Center. The meeting was organized by SIC ICWC together with the Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan with the support of the OSCE Center in Tashkent.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the current youth training level in regard to water resources problem by specialists from water sector and popular schooling, and make recommendations for improving the current situation. Representatives from popular schooling, research institutes and SIC ICWC took part in the meeting.
The following presentations were made:
- Prof. V.A. Dukhovny, “The project objectives at the beginning of activities”;
- Prof. R.K. Djurayev, “State standard for secondary education and need for improving educational programs for schools in Uzbekistan”;
- Dr. R.K. Ikramov, “The current state of available water resources and problems of improving water use practice”;
- A.A. KAdyrov, “Proposals for improving educational programs (geography, chemistry, history; basics of economic and legal knowledge)”;
- Prof. E.O. Turdikulov, “Preparation and holding of a training seminar on water resources use for teachers”
It was noted that in the near future Central Asian region would be under the pressure of problems related to water scarcity. This is especially visible in summer in many provinces of Uzbekistan. Year after year the volumes of water consumption increase due to population growth. On account of a weak economic state of countries in the region, such water-saving methods as drip irrigation and sprinkling are not accessible to many water users. Moreover, before water was used not taking into account environmental interests and almost without noticeable losses of water users, a careful attitude to water as God’s gift inherited in culture and morality of the local population was lost. This led to water waste by millions of primary users.
The participants of the meeting stated that there were too many technologies for water saving. Along with technical and economic measures, human factor plays an important role in water conservation as well. Economic and legal measures taken by the government and technologies will not have such an effect as expected, if the human does not make up his mind to rationally use natural resources.
From history of the region, works of prominent figures on rational use and norms of people’s behavior with regard to natural resources use are well known. In old times, religious teachings included also young generation upbringing in the spirit of morality, which included not only interpersonal attitudes, but also norms and orders of behavior in using the gifts of nature. There are a lot of popular proverbs that are evidence of it.
Young generation upbringing in the spirit of old traditions and attitude to water plays an important role in forming a society, which will be inclinable to rationally use and conserve natural resources.
According to psychological and pedagogical researches conducted in the country (by E. Gaziyev, M.G. Davletshin, A.Z. Zunnunov, A.S. Medjidova, P. Musayev and others), one could say that quality of education can be significantly raised, if upbringing and development of pupils are carried out purposefully in the process of training. Based on the above-mentioned, one could say that there is an acute need for bettering educational and pedagogical programs on water problem at schools, because growing generation will form tomorrow’s society.
It was noted that there were many definitions of environmental education in various countries, although its objectives are determined by diverse priorities. However, it is possible to choose a single objective that is to achieve harmony between human, society and nature. This objective forms, first of all, environmental culture of human. Environmental training is a comprehensive and complicated process. Training is a common denominator that maintains all natural resources conservation actions. Training includes information dissemination and public awareness building with a view to changing an attitude to natural resources as well as a nature of using them.
Through an efficient system of training it is possible to gradually achieve a number of benefits, including:
- public participation in natural resources conservation and management;
- building public awareness and stimulating its wish to participate in shared water resources management;
- raising comprehension of natural resources worth, and sense of responsibility in regard to that water resources waste causes a lot of problems for descendants;
- high level of public readiness for action; understanding common problem accompanies uniting people to solve large problems;
- public awareness is one of the main factors providing public participation in the process of natural resources management, conservation and rational use, and raises the level of public reaction to decisions being made.
Water education and upbringing at schools can be implemented by diverse approaches and ways. To this end, minimums of environmental knowledge, which school leavers should have, were provided for in the State Educational Standard of Uzbekistan. Due to many reasons, there is a very large gap between standards and reality. On the assumption of that Uzbekistan strongly depends on transboundary river water resources while developing its own economy, economic and legal basics of water resources management and use should be included in the lessons of jurisprudence and economics.
The aim of effective education is to teach children to think and make conclusions. The participants of the meeting proposed a number of ways and approaches to organize youth training in water problems. To develop training in water problems at schools, the participants recommend:
- to allocate more hours for teaching water-related matters;
- to review the current curriculum in terms of new tendencies in ecology;
- to reorient pedagogical approaches of teaching, and use innovative methods such as out-of-class lessons and interactive games, with a view to developing independent thinking of pupils;
- to integrate water themes into other lessons in order that children pay attention more frequently;
- to organize and hold camps, seminars and competitions for school activists on water themes;
- to organize training seminars for teachers on formation and rational use of water resources through a network of institutes for advanced training of teachers;
- to develop and apply new programs and methodologies for environmental education;
- to organize excursions to districts where there is a problem of water resources deficit.
During the meeting, proposals for integrating water issues into such subjects as geography, history, biology, economics, foreign languages and jurisprudence, as well as supposed amendments to curriculum were submitted to the participants for consideration. The participants approved this idea, and made practical proposals on the matter. The participants also expressed their desire to cooperate in developing the project for water problems training betterment at schools in future. In conclusion, the participants suggested to organize similar seminars for school teachers at the local level.
THE HEAD HYDROMET OFFICE CHANGED INTO HYDROMET SERVICE CENTER AT THE CABINET OF UZBEKISTAN (UZHYDROMET)
Owing to reorganization of state run public authorities, Head Hydromet Office at the Cabinet of Uzbekistan was changed into Hydromet Service Center at the Cabinet of Uzbekistan (UzHydromet).
According to the decisions made by the Cabinet of Uzbekistan, Dr. Viktor Yevgenyevich Chub was appointed as Director General of UzHydromet, and Ph.D. Khasan Akhmedjanovich Imamdjanov as Deputy Director General of UzHydromet.
Addresses of UzHydromet:
72, Kadyr Makhsumov Street, Tashkent, 700 052, Republic of Uzbekistan
Tel.: (998 71) 133 61 80,135 82 32,136 07 58
Fax: (998 71) 133 20 25
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