Works are in full swing to prepare the country for the transition to a single-stage system of postgraduate education with PhD defense. These days, all institutions of the country, engaged in the preparation of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of high qualification, go through attestation that is necessary to decide about the transfer of intern- researcher-candidates to the Institute of Senior Fellows-Candidates.

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan On further improvement of the system of training and attestation of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel, starting from 1 January 2013, the Institute of Intern-Researcher-Candidates will be eliminated, which provides training for PhD theses. All institutions, dealing with post-graduate education, will train highly qualified personnel in the Institutions of Senior Fellow-Candidates.

More than 100 higher education institutions of the country, as well as research institutes and other organizations conducting research, deal with post-graduate education. Most of them are concentrated in the system of institutions of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Those studying in the Institute of Intern-Researcher-Candidates will be transferred to the Institute Senior Fellow-Candidates.

“Attestation Commissions of postgraduate education institutions make a decision on the basis of assessment of the level of training and critical analysis of research topics of intern-researcher-candidates,” says Odilho’ja Parpiev, head of the executive office of the Coordinating Committee for Development of Science and Technology under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. “Post-graduate education will be continued only those who meet the new requirements for senior fellow-candidates. The rest will have time for the preparation and review of research topics in line with the priorities of the development of science and technology in the country for to be enrolled next year, or to continue to work through separate PhD thesis.

The attestation is carried out in accordance with the new legal documents on postgraduate education. Today, the High Attestation Commission has revised all acting regulations on postgraduate education, strengthened the requirements for the registration of topics for PhD theses. Now, all willing to get a postgraduate education will undergo special tests to determine the inclination of the applicant to the scientific and pedagogical work. The Cabinet of Ministers together with the relevant ministries and agencies approved a new range of areas of science and specialty code for the training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of high qualification.

“The ongoing reform of postgraduate education will contribute to the development of science and scientific and technological progress, solving urgent problems of economic development and the state in general,” concluded Odilho’ja Parpiev. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper)