On 28 April 2022,
Ms Natalia Mochu, the ITU Regional Director for CIS Region,
Mr Oleg Pekos, First Deputy Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and
Ms Liu Jiaying, Account Manager of ZTE Corporation inaugurated the Digital skills center for women and youth in Tashkent. The inauguration took place within the framework of the celebration of the
International Girls in ICT Day. The ceremony was also attended by the first graduates of the Center.
This project is one of the joint ITU – Uzbekistan initiatives in the area of digital skills development. While in 2018 only 13.6% of the population of Uzbekistan had basic digital skills and 6.8% of the population had standard digital skills, in 2020 these figures were 14% and 8% respectively. Thus, taking into account the population growth, 300 and 500 thousand people respectively have acquired digital skills at the basic and standard levels in three years. In this respect Uzbekistan is still stepping back the leaders of the CIS region, but the gap is rapidly narrowing. Detailed statistical data can be found on the Digital Development Dashboard.
ITU spoke to the girls who had successfully completed digital skills training.
Zebo is 24 years old, and a year ago, she didn’t even think of a career in ICT. After finishing the school, Zebo was not able to decide which university to choose, she neither studied nor worked. Her acquaintance with the digital world was limited to school lessons and social networking on her mobile phone. Zebo learned of free IT-courses and decided to try. She signed up for IT-courses on basic computer literacy, graphic design and programming.
‘After completing the courses, I firmly decided to improve in this area. Now I work as a laboratory assistant of the department in the Tashkent Muhammad al-Khorasmia University of Information Technologies. Next year, I hope to become a student of this university. Thanks to my work I always have access to the computer, and in my spare time I can prepare for the exams,’ Zebo shares her plans.
Shirin is 32 years old. She has always been interested in the exact sciences and dreamed about a career in ICT. But due to a lack of facilities and opportunities she was not able to realize her dream after finishing the school. For several years Shirin worked as a seamstress, but was not satisfied with her income. She regretted the missed opportunity to change her profession, do what she loved and receive a decent salary.
Shirin heard of free IT-courses for women and decided to try to change her life and immerse herself as deeply as possible in the ICT. ‘I know, that every profession offersits challenges. But cozy classrooms, professional teachers and friendly staff at the IT Center helped me to overcome all the difficulties. The classes were very interesting and raised my self-esteem,’ notes Shirin.
Shirin is happy with her new job in the sphere of telecommunications,
‘With basic digital skills it has become much easier finding a job in ICT. Now I work as an operator in the post office of Yangiarik district of Khorezm region of Uzbekistan’. In the future, she plans to enter the Urgench branch of the Muhammad al-Khorasmia Information Technology University of Tashkent.
Currently, only 30% of all ICT professionals in Uzbekistan are women. The Government is determined to change the situation. In that regard, digital literacy and the involvement of girls in ICT are seen as drivers for Uzbekistan’s economic growth and the well-being of the population. At the opening of the Center, Oleg Pekos said,
’By training a man, we train only one person. By training a woman, we train the whole family’.
For more information on the projects implemented by ITU within the framework of regional initiatives, please refer to
this page.
