Uzbekistan has reach ancient history, including in the field of education. Our ancestors have left to us thousands of excellent specimens of human work, masterpieces of art, science and literature.

From the time immemorial in Uzbekistan the major goal of education was the upbringing of new generation. Public education was crafted for centuries, developing and improving fundamental principles of training and education.

Youth education in the spirit of humanity and mutual respect is one of the main direction of public pedagogy and include politeness and tactfulness.

At the present time the policy of the state in the field of education is based on its own model. It is aimed at training of highly qualified specialists, competitive cadre for work in the market economy, supporting of educational establishments of various types. Special attention is paid to the conformity of education institutions to the state curricular, to provide social protection for students and teachers as well as to upgrade technical and methodical base of educational institutions.

From the outset of its independence, Uzbekistan has undertaken the practical steps to reform its higher education system.

The major precondition for development of the country is the functioning of the education system and professional training. This system should provide the formation of a new generation of specialists, capable to live in a society with advanced common and professional culture, social and personal activity and able to take independent decision in a socio-political environment.

Transition to multilevel system of higher education was aimed at improving quality of professional training. The reform of the system of higher education was directed to develop creativity of future specialists in the process of independent work on the basis of active forms and methods of training.

The previous educational system failed to meet requirements of democratic and market transformations which are currently being implemented in the republic.

Adopted in 1997 the National model became a basis and core of the National program on personnel training which has defined conceptual mechanisms of fundamental overhauling of the education system and professional training.

The program is a normative and scientific base for reforms, it lays a way to fundamental changes in the structure and contents of the education system, with the inclusion of the nine-year common secondary education, completely new independent kind of middle special, professional education, two-level system of higher education.

The essence and distinctive feature of the National model of the professional education is the system?s integrity that encompasses following basic components: individual, the state and the society, continuous education, science and manufacturing.

Role, functions and objectives of continuous education in the implementation of National model have been clearly formulated in the followings:

First phase (1997-2001) - creating legal, regulatory, scientific methodical, financial basis for its overhauling and developing on the basis of the preservation of positive potentials of the existing system in professional training.

Second phase (2001-2005) ? full-scale implementation of the National program, its adjustment by using accumulated experience, development of labor market and real social ? economic conditions.

Third phase (2005-to present) - accomplishment and further development of a system of professional training on the basis of analyzing and synthesizing of cumulative experience according to perspectives of social ? economic development of the country.

The proclamation by the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan that education is priority sphere of social?economic development, democratization, humanization all spheres of public life as well as the adoption of the National program on specialists preparation gave new impetus to developing the educational system and for the creation of new types of educational institutes.

The main priority of the National program on specialists? training is to form a free and independent person, which has ability to participate actively in social-political life. It allows to accelerate an promote democratic principles in country?s social?economic life. The Program includes democratization of the educational governing system through broadening independence of educational institutes.

The educational governing system has also been overhauled on the basis of principles of democracy, decentralization and humanization. In particular, it designed to provide extension of rights and independence of educational institutes in financial-economic activity and organization of educational process, developing effective system of public governing over educational institutes through a formation of trustee and observation councils.

The educational system of Uzbekistan is in a transitional period of development. And the success of reforms will mostly depend on the changes of main core of this system ? education institutions in a short and long run.

The implementation of the National program on professional training allows Uzbekistan to:

- form perfect system of specialists? training;

- develop human?s talent and to satisfy his/her different educational needs;

- form a freely and independently thinking person, patriot of the country devoted to ideas of independence and democracy;

- maintain national security;

- implant the democratic principles in social-political life of country, to build really civic society and lawful state;

- occupy its own reputed place in the world community.