Sleepy eyes, tiny hands holding flowers. Photo report from “First Call”

Today, September 4, marks the first day of the 2024-2025 school year in Uzbekistan. Students dressed in black and white uniforms, clutching flowers, can be seen everywhere from early morning. This day is especially exciting for those entering the first grade for the first time. QALAMPIR.UZ presents a photo report from the "First Call" event held in schools across the country.

According to the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, over 700,000 children are expected to start first grade in the 2024-2025 school year. Currently, there are 10,182 general education schools in Uzbekistan, with more than 6.4 million students enrolled.

Students entering the first grade for the first time today received gifts from the President. Layla Rustamova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, noted that special attention was given to the design of the school bag, which is part of the President's gift.

Due to differences in the number of boys and girls in the classes, boys were sometimes given red bags, while girls received blue ones.

Additionally, this year's "President's Gift" includes a variety of educational tools. Specifically, the gift package contains:

• School bag
• 12 notebooks
• Drawing book
• Watercolor paints
• Pencil case
• Ballpoint pen
• Colored pencils
• 2 ordinary pencils
• Plasticine
• Glue
• 2 erasers

To prepare for the academic year, the Ministry created a special electronic database, and the "President's Gifts" were prepared based on the number of students listed in this database.

The QALAMPIR.UZ team wishes good luck to all first-grade students starting their school journey this year.