Purpose: This study aims to examine the vertical alignment of digital innovation between secondary and higher education in Uzbekistan, focusing on how the integration of digitized STEM curricula at the school level corresponds with the digital transformation initiatives in universities.
Research methodology: This article examines the requirements for ensuring societal welfare by analyzing recent reforms in Uzbekistan’s education, healthcare, and employment sectors using content analysis, statistical review, and comparative approaches. It also evaluates international best practices and proposes a system of interconnected indicators to assess a prosperous life based on economic opportunity, personal freedom, and social justice.
Results: Efforts to modernize Uzbekistan's healthcare and employment sectors have led to improvements in medical infrastructure, digital health services, job creation, and entrepreneurship support. However, challenges remain in ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare and addressing high levels of informal employment. Bridging the gap between education outcomes and labor market demands, along with expanding medical insurance and preventive care, are key priorities for sustainable societal well-being.
Conclusions: Uzbekistan has implemented key reforms in education, healthcare, and employment to enhance societal welfare, focusing on digital innovation, infrastructure development, and job creation. These efforts have yielded progress, but challenges such as informal employment, gaps in medical service quality, and mismatches between education and labor market needs persist. Ensuring consistent reform implementation and addressing these systemic issues are essential for building a prosperous, educated, and healthy society.
Limitations: This study is limited by its descriptive nature, which primarily outlines policy directions and reform outcomes without conducting in-depth empirical measurements or cross-sectoral impact assessments. Furthermore, while the study highlights progress in education, healthcare, and employment reforms in Uzbekistan, it does not quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness or sustainability of these reforms over time.
Contribution: This study contributes to the discourse on integrated social reform by highlighting the theoretical linkages between education, healthcare, and employment in the pursuit of national well-being.