Ilkhom Tukhtasinov
Ilkhom Tukhtasinov, rector of the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, thinks that the British Council in Uzbekistan is a ‘locomotive’ for the English language that has made its projects sustainable.
Tukhtasinov has worked with the British Council throughout his career, starting in 2012 when he was Dean of the Faculty of Theory and Practice of Translation at the Uzbek State University of World Languages (USUWL), and continuing as Dean of the Second English Faculty and as Director of the Scientific and Practical Innovation Center until 2016.
He believes that a major strength of the British Council’s programmes is how they develop the potential of students, faculty and university administrators.
“British Council programmes help university administrators, including deans and deputies, to improve their management skills,” Tukhtasinov says. He believes that leaders must ensure that the foundation for change created by the British Council is maintained and creatively enhanced in the future.
Tukhtasinov notes that today, those with higher education and a good command of a foreign language have more options for a successful career. He says that the British Council has been the driving force behind reforming Uzbekistan’s English-language education system over the past 25 years.
One of the biggest projects that Tukhtasinov has been involved with to date was EnSPIRE-U, which was aimed at improving English education in non-philological universities.
“We looked at the current state of teaching using tools developed by the British Council,” he recounts. “A team of specialists conducted surveys and interviews to examine the levels of English proficiency of teachers and students, as well as the overall state of education and the quality of the taught programmes. The surveys and interviews covered everyone from rectors and department heads to students, parents and employers.”
As a result, a reformed teaching programme has been introduced in Uzbekistan’s 31 non-philological universities. English-language course hours were increased even for non-language students, such as those studying economics, medicine and architecture. New textbooks have also been developed specifically for non-philological universities to ensure students are learning contemporary language forms.
As faculty dean at USUWL, Tukhtasinov worked on the British Council’s PRESETT English reform project, which he says is an excellent example of successful cooperation between the British Council and USUWL. The results of PRESETT extended beyond the scope of English, leading to positive changes in teaching and learning systems across USUWL’s other language programmes.
Tukhtasinov was also involved in the “Research is Great” project at USUWL to develop postgraduate research skills. The project gave Uzbek researchers experience at the international level and raised the profile of Uzbekistan’s scientific research outputs.
The British Council also helped in the creation of new textbooks for English instruction in Uzbek primary schools. Tukhtasinov emphasises that British Council consultant Wendy Arnold played a significant role in the project. “Her advice was fundamental to the success of the Kid’s English curriculum, created by our specialist Svetlana Khan,” he notes. Tukhtasinov is proud of the excellent foundation that has already been jointly laid for project sustainability and further development of reforms, which he says are essential going forward.
Tukhtasinov continues to believe strongly in the work of the British Council, and in his current role as rector of the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, he has spearheaded staff involvement in an EMI (English as a Medium of Instruction) project aimed at improving the quality of teaching special subjects in English.
“I am confident that the British Council, with its innovative ideas, will continue to be the main partner for all educational initiatives and reforms in Uzbekistan,” he said, extending his best wishes and congratulations to the entire staff of the British Council in celebrating its 25th anniversary in Uzbekistan.
“In the future, I hope we’ll celebrate the half-century anniversary of cooperation with the British Council, celebrating fifty new projects and initiatives in the field of continuing education. I hope that Uzbekistan will soon be at the forefront of quality higher education – the British Council’s contributions to these efforts will be truly significant.”