Community Education in Uzbekistan in Relation to the Mahalla Policy

Abstract

After having gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan continues to wrestle with the problem of how to unite its citizens in the postSoviet Union era and push towards nation unification.Through national educational reforms, the formation of a next generation with a distinctly Uzbekistani identity has been actively promoted. These educational policies foster the Uzbek language and ethnic culture. Above all, under the "National program for talent training", communities called Mahalla are introduced into school education as "traditional spaces", "fundamenta spaces of nation unification", and "spaces of mutual aid".The precedent studies which deal with the educational side of Mahallas note that children can develop sociability through playing in the playgrounds they offer. This assertion however, is made from the viewpoint of the Mahalla, and not from that of school education. This precedent study neglects to argue how Mahalla is introduced into school education and how it is treated there.The present paper considers the functions of Mahallas as a part of school education.Concretely, it considers the significance Mahallas have in the school education of Uzbekistan, a country with many ethnic groups in Central Asia. It furthermore clarifies the following points concerning the introduction of Mahallas into school education in Uzbekistan: 1) The background and purpose of introducing Mahallas into school education; 2) how Malhallas have been incorporated into school education, and 3) how Mahallas as "spaces of mutual aid" contribute to nation unification.To begin with, the author analyzes the background and the purpose for the introduction of Mahallas into school education, whereby the legacies of Soviet Union are cast away and many ethnic groups living in Uzbekistan united into the "people of Uzbekistan". Mahalla as a local community plays an important role in this process. First, the government gathers up the many ethnic groups of Central Asia through Mahalla. Next, government and Mahalla committees promote policies for nation building across the country. For these reasons, Mahalla has been introduced into the school education.