Inspections in schools begin

north_east

Teachers in Samarkand allegedly forced to carry out school repairs too (video)

Control measures are set to start across all schools in Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment of the Republic of Uzbekistan reported.

It is stated that a “week against forced labor” has been announced across all schools and kindergartens in the republic. The labor inspection will conduct control measures in all educational institutions.

“The latest reports concerning teachers being mobilized for forced labor have shown that the inviolability of labor rights of our citizens is under threat,” the statement said.

It is reported that all cases of forced labor imposed on teachers and circulated on social media have been confirmed, and administrative liability measures have been applied to the responsible officials. The relevant authorities have been entrusted with investigating the causes of the incidents as well as eliminating factors that enabled their occurrence.

It is also mentioned that administrative liability measures will be imposed not only on employers but also on all responsible officials who allowed the forced labor.

According to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On introducing amendments and additions to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Code of Administrative Liability of the Republic of Uzbekistan in connection with strengthening liability for obstructing the performance of duties by pedagogical staff,” adopted on March 27, 2023, and entering into force the following day, an addition was made to Article 51 of the Code of Administrative Liability (administrative coercion to labor). By this addition, if the offense is committed against a pedagogical staff member of an educational institution, it shall result in a fine ranging from 100 to 150 times the base calculation amount. The same law introduced an addition to Article 148-2 of the Criminal Code (administrative coercion to labor), according to which administrative coercion to labor, except in cases provided for by law, if committed against a pedagogical staff member of an educational institution after an administrative penalty has been applied for the same act, shall be punishable by a fine ranging from 150 to 200 times the BCA, or deprivation of certain rights for up to 3 years, or correctional labor for up to 3 years.

Furthermore, according to the presidential directive of August 14, 2028, “On measures to bring up the youth morally and physically, elevating the education and upbringing system to a qualitatively new stage,” forcing education officials to labor, in particular to clean up district and city areas, as well as to carry out landscaping works, seasonal agricultural works, and other types of labor, has been banned.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers’ decision “On additional measures to eliminate forced labor in the Republic of Uzbekistan” was adopted on May 10, 2018.

It is worth noting that at the beginning of August this year, it was reported that the teachers of School No. 42 in the Marhamat district of Andijan region had been forcibly involved in repair works. Although in a conversation with the school staff, they emphasized that the cleanup was carried out voluntarily, the school director was dismissed from her position for failing to prevent teachers from performing work beyond their official duties. Based on the provision regarding administrative coercion to work, the director was fined 100 times the base calculation amount, that is, 41.2 million soums.