Uzbek Schools of Usto-Shogirds (Craftsmen) have Trained an Additional 335 Masters-Craftsmen

“If I had not come to a local school for usto-shogirds last July I would not be able to get small but regular additional earnings,” Marguba Abduganieva.

New job, new interests

In the last six months Marguba Abduganieva, a woman living in an Uzbek provincial small town Urgut in Samarkand Oblast, has started to raise her own money.  When she is not busy taking care of her little children (two) and doing household chores she works at home. As agreed with customers, Marguba embroiders chapans (national cold-weather overalls).  This enables the young family to get small but regular additional earnings (some 5-6 dollars a week). They would not get any if she had not come to a local school for usto-shogirds together with other four housewives last July. Along with them she completed a four-month training in the basics of national embroidery conducted by master Shoira Ablakulova and got a relevant certificate.  In addition to knowledge and skills, the apprentices got a small stipend within this period. And for the last six months Marguba weekly helps the family budget as she has found her niche in the labor market.

Marguba says: “I am happy with the changes in my life which has become more interesting and active. Domestic labor also brings income”.

Schools for usto-shogirds around Uzbekistan preserve arts and crafts

Namaz Ablakulov, Deputy Chairman of the National Association “Khunarmand”: “Since last July, 67 schools for usto-shogirds have been operating in the country.” They were organized and funded under the World Bank grant of US$26.5 thousand and are designed for various periods of time depending on the craft type. He states that a lot of arts and crafts are preserved in Uzbekistan – national embroidery, ceramics, woodcarving, ganch carving, ornamental painting, miniature painting, hand-made carpet weaving and silk weaving and a number of other crafts. Recently, the training of new masters has faced financial difficulties. The World Bank representatives met our art historians and offered their help. Then the project for training new craftsmen at usto-shogirds schools was selected to be financed.

We prepared a proposal to organize 67 schools throughout the country including six pilot schools in Urgut, Namangan, Ferghana, Andijan, Khorezm and Karakalpakstan. These schools were opened on July 1 and started to operate within various periods of time depending on the type of activity.

Tradition to learn

For example, the apprenticeship in national embroidery at the newly organized schools lasts four months and in national trunk manufacture – six months. Training in ceramics, woodcarving and jewelry lasts one year.  Each of the 67 schools trained 5 apprentices. This is most optimal since an usto-shogird – a recognized master, a member of the “Khunarmand” Association – has more time to train each apprentice individually. According to dedicated ceramist Namaz Ablakulov, the peculiarity and advantage of such schools are close interaction between a mentor and an apprentice. In this tandem, an apprentice does not learn only theory. When performing elementary tasks he sees how to do more complicated work. Another benefit is the relationship between a master and an apprentice, which is traditional in the East. A good master treats his apprentices as his children. And apprentices treat their masters respectively. It is this school that forms spiritual values. And a person brought up in this environment always aspires to beauty.

State supports craftsmen

According to Namaz Ablakulov, the state helps preserve the original crafts of our ancestors and enrich it with modern color and space design of forms and painting. The state has exempted ustozes – the members of the “Khunarmand” Association working in arts and crafts-related areas from income tax until 2008. Currently, the Association has 15 thousand masters.

335 persons have been trained (and some of them still serve their apprenticeship) in the fundamentals of our ancestors’ crafts. Further progress will depend on apprentices themselves.

He said that upon completion of their apprenticeship the masters-to-be would fill out questionnaires to express their opinions on the period and quality of training at the usto-shogirds schools, as well as on benefits of the craft they learnt, training goals and other issues.