Uzbekistan: English Speaking Nation Program | TASHKENT PAS FY19 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for TASHKENT PAS FY19 01

The Uzbekistan: English Speaking Nation Program was a FY2019 grant opportunity announced by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Mission to Uzbekistan under the U.S. Department of State. It was framed as part of a broader partnership between the United States Government and the Government of Uzbekistan, specifically supporting Uzbekistan's Ministry of Public Education (MPE) as it works to strengthen English language instruction and expand the role of English within the public school curriculum. The underlying rationale is that stronger English skills can improve students' future job prospects, increase their ability to study at universities abroad, and widen access to global information and resources that are primarily available in English.

The need being addressed is large in scale. Uzbekistan's public education system includes 9,691 schools serving roughly 6,000,000 children, with more than 600,000 students graduating each year. The program targets a key bottleneck in improving student outcomes: the capacity of the country's English language teaching workforce. Uzbekistan has about 32,000 English language teachers in public schools, and both MPE and PAS assessed the general level of English proficiency among many of these teachers as quite low. The grant therefore focuses on improving both teachers' language ability and their pedagogical skills, on the premise that better-prepared teachers will ultimately raise graduates' English proficiency across the system.

The program's goals and objectives follow a structured improvement cycle built around assessment, planning, training, and measurement. First, the project is expected to establish a baseline assessment of teachers' English language capabilities. Second, it must assess teachers' classroom teaching skills and the effectiveness of their methods. Third, the project should use those findings to develop targeted plans for teachers, presumably to address gaps identified in language proficiency and instructional practice. Fourth, the program must deliver training and continuing education designed to strengthen both English language skills and pedagogy. Finally, the project must include a concluding assessment to measure how much teachers improved their language ability and how well they adopted and applied the concepts taught during training.

From an administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary grant opportunity (not a formula entitlement program) categorized under education, with CFDA number 19.040. The opportunity number was TASHKENT PAS FY19 01. The posted award ceiling was up to $4,000,000, with an expectation of making one award. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions), and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The opportunity was created on May 31, 2019, and the original application closing date was July 31, 2019.

Overall, the grant was designed as a system-wide teacher capacity building effort: establish a credible baseline of teacher language and teaching performance, use evidence from that baseline to tailor development plans, deliver substantial professional development, and then verify results through a final assessment. The intended downstream effect is a measurable improvement in English outcomes for Uzbek public school graduates, supporting broader national priorities tied to employability, international academic pathways, and access to English-language knowledge and networks.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Uzbekistan in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Uzbekistan: English Speaking Nation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 31, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.

Apply for TASHKENT PAS FY19 01

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