Belarusian, Uzbek universities to step up cooperation

he Belarusian State University and the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek have signed an agreement on cultural and scientific cooperation. The document was signed by the heads of the universities Andrei Korol and Inom Madzhidov. The signing ceremony took place as a Belarusian State University delegation visited Uzbekistan, the university's press service told BelTA.

The document provides for exchange programs for students and professors. It also envisages cooperation in preparing diploma papers, dissertations, and publications, the joint organization of scientific research and events, exchange of literature and periodical educational editions. Up till now this partnership was limited to the joint training of Uzbek students majoring in medical-biological work and medical ecology at premises of the Belarusian State University's A.D. Sakharov International State Ecological Institute.

The agreement will expand the subject field of relations between the universities by means of exploring new directions. Among those the sides mentioned an increase in joint education programs in humanities and natural sciences, the organization of summer schools, interaction in the area of medication chemistry and councils of young scientists, the implementation of joint student projects.

During the meeting Andrei Korol and Inom Madzhidov exchanged information about promising areas of work of their respective universities. The Uzbek colleagues were interested in the continuous training system the Belarusian State University uses to train lawyers and in the Belarusian university's institute for retraining and qualification upgrading of judges, prosecutors and legal professionals. Close attention was paid to the Belarusian State University's experience of creating and launching its first space satellite and the possible involvement of Belarusian scientists in the development of a satellite for the Uzbek university. The sides will take a closer look at the proposals soon in order to prepare a roadmap on cooperation. Apart from that, the BSU rector read a lecture on methods and practice of dialogization of university education in the 21st century.

The National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek is the first and leading higher education institution in Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It was established in 1918. It comprises 12 faculties: math, physics, biology, chemistry, economics, social sciences, history, geology and geoinformation systems, geography and natural resources, foreign philology, journalism, and taekwondo and sport events. The university employs about 900 personnel, including 18 academicians, 186 professors, 326 candidates of sciences, 345 senior lecturers and assistants.