Additionally, the president announced further measures aimed at supporting youth and their comprehensive development. In particular, he proposed to expand the inclusive camp program "Voice Up" and organize similar events in every region of the country. This year, as part of the "Growth and Development" project, competitions will be held in the fields of media, design, crafts, and innovations, with 2 billion sums ($163,400) allocated to support the 40 best startups.
Technical schools, like universities, will be allowed to create subsidiaries for the commercialization of scientific research, with promising projects eligible for up to 1 billion sums ($81,700). Starting this year, students of technical schools will be able to participate in the Work and Travel program, under which the state will offer loans to cover travel expenses for work abroad. Support will also be provided to youth with foreign language certificates.
The establishment of an Association of Private Educational Centers was also announced by the president. In this context, entrepreneurs providing premises for these centers will be exempt from paying taxes on rental income and profits. Teachers at such institutions will have the opportunity to undergo internships at the best educational establishments.
In remote and hard-to-reach areas, institutions teaching foreign languages will be able to receive interest-free loans of up to 300 million sums ($24,500). They will also pay a social tax of 1%, and the income tax for teachers will be 7.5% instead of 12%.
Moreover, tax benefits are provided for centers that offer free education to youth from low-income families, with the possibility of receiving a portion of the paid taxes back as cashback.
To promote the volunteer movement, the establishment of a Board of Trustees is planned, as well as the creation of a Volunteer Support Fund under the Youth Affairs Agency, which will receive 20 billion sums ($1.6 million) annually from the republican budget and 3 billion sums ($245,000) from local budgets to finance grants for volunteer projects.
A "Second Chance" program will also be launched in the country, aimed at the rapid adaptation of youth returning from places of incarceration. Within this initiative, intensive courses in programming, web design, computer engineering, and foreign languages will be organized.
The president noted that in recent years, young Uzbeks have won 66 gold, 147 silver, and 221 bronze medals at international scientific Olympiads. Currently, more than 500 students from Uzbekistan are studying at prestigious universities abroad, and 63 startups created by citizens of the republic have already entered international markets.
Uzbekistan has been recognized as one of the most dynamically developing countries according to the Global Youth Development Index. The planned opening of the headquarters of the World Youth Movement for Peace in Tashkent and the holding of the Global Conference of Youth Parliament members, the international startup summit Take Off, and the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand will only strengthen this status, the president concluded.
