Uzbekistan has begun delivering school supply kits for first-graders ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year, Daryo reported.
The kits are due to reach every region by 15 August and all schools by 25 August, based on first-grade enrolment. They will be handed out after Knowledge Day ceremonies.
Each Presidential Gift contains 12 types of school supplies:
- a school backpack
- 12 notebooks
- a pen
- two pencils
- a set of coloured pencils
- coloured paper
- modelling clay
- a drawing album
- two erasers
- a set of watercolours
- glue
- a pencil case
The kits will go to first-graders at state and non-state schools, as well as institutions overseen by other ministries and agencies. Pupil lists for each school were compiled through the adm.maktab.uz platform.
In previous years, we surveyed parents to learn their views on the quality and durability of the Presidential Gift. Based on the feedback, particular attention was paid to product quality and wear resistance, and all school supplies were checked for compliance with established standards and sanitary requirements. In addition, to mark the 35th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, first-graders will also receive a keychain bearing state symbols this year. We expect this to help strengthen children’s sense of patriotism, respect for state symbols and pride in their country — Erkin Murodov, department head at the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.
The ministry also said the weight of a school backpack depends on more than the contents of the kit. It urged parents to ensure children carry only the items required by their timetable.
Studies have shown that the weight of a school backpack is not linked only to the Presidential Gift. Some parents buy backpacks that are too large for their children. As a result, they put in extra items, water bottles, and textbooks and workbooks that are not required by the lesson timetable. All of this increases the backpack’s weight. We therefore ask parents to make sure children take only the school supplies they need according to their timetable — Qahramon Almardonov, an official at the Ministry of Preschool and School Education.
More than 795,000 children are expected to enter first grade in the new academic year. By 5 August, over 680,000 future first-graders had enrolled, equal to 85% of the target. More than 550,000 teachers will educate over 6.7 million pupils at 10,225 schools.
