How was the EdTech session at the Digital Leadership Forum?

On July 7th, as part of the Digital Leadership Forum, a session on EdTech took place, addressing the development of IT education in Uzbekistan. The conference on the topic of "Global IT Skills Gap: Investing in IT Education to Meet Growing Demand" was discussed. Forum participants were acquainted with a presentation on the development of IT education in the country, the potential of human resources in this field, and the importance of investing in IT education.

The event was moderated by Makhliyo Muksinova, Deputy CEO of IT Park for Digital Education Development. The opening of the conference was accompanied by a welcoming speech from Rustam Karimjanov, Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan.

In turn, Karimjanov emphasized the importance of the role of IT education development in Uzbekistan and presented a presentation on "Unveiling Uzbekistan's Potential in Information Technology: Exploring Human Potential." Karimjanov raised the important topic of education development in the ICT field, and also noted that the development of IT education is a strategic priority for the government as it contributes to the formation of a highly skilled workforce and attracts investment in the IT sector.

During the event, Siddhartha Nagar, Customer Success Manager at Coursera, also spoke and informed participants about the development of online education and its impact in the era of digital technology. He highlighted the growing popularity of online courses and their role in providing accessible and flexible education in the IT field.

Next, Manirul Islam, IT Director of the American International Institute in Bangladesh, delivered a presentation on the significance of IT education for future career opportunities. He emphasized the importance of preparing students in terms of technological skills that will be in demand in the near future.

In addition to the previous speakers, the conference also featured Choi Ki-Young, Vice President of Inha University, who gave a presentation on digital learning and the transformation of the education system.

The next speaker was Vishesh Chandra Shekhar, CEO of Acharya University, who presented his vision for the development prospects of the IT education cluster in Uzbekistan.

The last speaker was Azat Nizamov, Managing Partner of TerraLink from Canada. He spoke on the topic of "Improving the Quality of Education" and shared his international experience in this field.

The second part of the conference included a panel discussion on "Shaping the Future: Adapting IT Education for Future Work." The following participants took part in it:

• Naina Chaudhary, Vice-Chancellor of Amity University in Tashkent (India);
• Robert V. Franz,   Prof. Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences, erp4students Program Director;
• Byung Joon Kim, Vice President for General Affairs at Kookmin University (South Korea);
• Professor Liu Wenfen, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

As a result of the conference, an important agreement was reached with representatives of Coursera to extend the validity period of certificates to two years. Negotiations were also held with them regarding the visit of the company's leader to ICT Week Uzbekistan, which will take place in October this year.

Another important achievement was an agreement with ERP4STUDENTS and Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences to launch training programs for SAP courses for teachers (Training of Trainers).