Uzbekistan’s education system has historically followed a teacher-centered, textbook-driven model where all students are expected to learn the same material at the same pace.
The USAID-funded All Children Succeeding (ACS) activity is working closely with the Government of Uzbekistan to promote inclusive education and enhance educational access for all students, including those with disabilities.
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the All Children Succeeding activity supports Uzbekistan’s mandate to improve teacher training, expand access to flexible education materials, pilot new approaches and staff positions to support inclusive education, and secure the rights of children with disabilities.
The program focuses on improving foundational skills and inclusion from kindergarten to grade 5. It works in 1,000 schools in Uzbekistan’s Namangan and Sirdaryo regions, with the possibility of expansion during the project’s second year.
All Children Succeeding is implemented by Creative Associates International, which leads a consortium of local and international practitioners, including The American Councils for International Education, Syracuse University’s Center on Disability and Inclusion, the Nationwide Movement Yuksalish, and social enterprise Praxis Plus.
Program goals
Incorporating Universal Design for Learning to support flexible learning environments, ACS is supporting the Government of Uzbekistan in revising and building upon teaching and learning materials that integrate principles for inclusive education, including social-emotional learning and diverse representation. The program also plans to support distribution of assistive technology and devices along with training teachers and parents to help children with disabilities effectively learn.
ACS strengthens professional development opportunities for teachers, school leadership and experts, focusing on curricula that integrate inclusive and learner-centered classroom pedagogy. This training includes individualized support plans and best practices so that educators can work effectively with children with disabilities.
ACS works closely with the Government of Uzbekistan and the Local Education Group to establish policies, procedures and practices for advancing quality inclusive education. The project encourages ongoing partnerships between the government, civil society and disabled persons organizations to generate greater understanding and support of inclusive education.
