Minister Hilola Umarova warns against forcing teachers to collect votes

Minister of Preschool and School Education Hilola Umarova has urged teachers not to feel pressured into collecting votes for the "Initiative Budget" and encouraged them to report any such instances to the ministry. She addressed the issue in a statement on her Telegram channel.  

According to the minister, significant efforts have been made in recent years to prevent school teachers and preschool education employees from being assigned tasks outside their official duties, particularly excessive and unjustified "collective work." As a result, the number of complaints regarding such issues has decreased considerably. However, some officials in the system continue to make unreasonable demands on staff, instructing them to collect funds for various purposes, reflecting outdated practices.  

Recently, in one of the schools in the Kuva district, a school director was dismissed after it was discovered that they had instructed teachers to deduct 700,000 sums from their monthly salaries to gather votes for the "Open Budget" initiative.  

On March 11, the voting stage for the "Initiative Budget" projects officially began.  

"This project has gained attention for its transparency and its role in increasing public participation in the budgeting process. We must not undermine these positive reforms by forcing teachers and education workers to vote or by deducting money from their salaries. I want to reiterate that we will never tolerate situations where teachers are assigned duties beyond their responsibilities or are required to collect money for various purposes. Dear teachers, if you encounter such cases, please reach out to the ministry. We will investigate each instance and ensure the protection of teachers and education workers," Minister Umarova stated.  

It is worth noting that last year, in the Romitan district of the Bukhara region, a school principal was fined 34 million soums for coercing teachers into collecting votes for the "Initiative Budget" project. Following an investigation by the State Labor Inspectorate, it was determined that the director of Secondary School No. 18 in Romitan district had unlawfully compelled teachers to participate in the voting process, which was not part of their job responsibilities. As a result, the principal was fined 100 times the minimum wage—34 million soums—under the relevant article of the Code of Administrative Responsibility.