The round table “Learning Territories: Opportunities and Perspectives” in Fergana
The first step towards the creation of learning territories in Uzbekistan was the membership of two cities of Uzbekistan in the UNESCO Learning Cities Network - Tashkent (in 2019) and Fergana (in 2020).
On November 9, 2023, the first round table “Learning Cities: Quality Education and Equal Access” was held in Fergana, where the participants - representatives of the Fergana city khokimiyat, relevant ministries, managers of state and non-state educational institutions, media - provided their proposals on the development of Fergana as a learning city.
On May 29, 2025, the second round table on the topic: “Learning Territories: Opportunities and Prospects” took place. Representatives of government agencies, NGOs, educational institutions, foreign and local experts participated in the event. In his speech, the representative of Fergana city khokimiyat noted that the state pays significant attention and takes measures to develop the spectrum and quality of educational services, considering the needs of the population of all ages.
The participants of the event were invited to look at their city from the perspective of the concept of “Learning Territories”, to discuss existing opportunities and perspectives. In this context, lifelong learning becomes a process which takes place everywhere and always, and learning territories are a system in which educational institutions, cultural and public organizations, businesses, local governments and population interact between each other. The event was moderated by Venera Ermetova, a trainer-consultant of the Center for Support of Civic Initiatives, who has been helping to promote the concept of “Learning Territories” in our country since the very beginning.
Expert Paul Butler from Ireland delivered the presentation on Dublin (this city is part of the Learning Cities network from 2019). He stressed that the City Hall Coordinating Council puts many efforts to develop learning spaces, including the annual Dublin Learning City Festival. During three days festival various educational institutions, museum, theaters, government and non-government organizations provide free education events throughout the city, and city residents can attend and choose any educational programme of their interest to further their education.
Dilnoza Kurbanova, representative the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, presented about the national normative documents and opportunities created by the state for the development of learning environment in the country.
As a result of the event, the participants proposed actions to be taken for the development of the learning city:
- to create and promote its own brand “Fergana - a learning city”
- to develop the learning city concept
- to start work with communities in mahalla where residents themselves can organize educational activities
- involve representatives of the older generation in training programmes
- develop a partnership network between other learning cities in the country and abroad.
- ......
Key findings:
The Concept Learning territories is not only about education, it is also about quality of life, participation and sustainability.
We are confident that the city of Fergana will become a good example of learning city in the near future.