Boom in German language courses for aspiring Uzbek migrants

With Russia's doors increasingly closed due to nationalist tensions, nurses, labourers and bricklayers are now looking to Germany thanks to agreements signed by Berlin with the government in Tashkent. Meanwhile, the Uzbek population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home.

Tashkent (AsiaNews) - German language courses are becoming increasingly popular in Uzbekistan, especially among adults, as a result of the growing opportunities to find work in Germany.

Traditional labour migration to Russia is becoming increasingly limited and difficult due to repressive actions and nationalist tensions, which violate the rights of Uzbeks and all foreign migrants.

Students of German courses admit that they find it difficult to learn a language that is very foreign to Uzbek culture, unlike Russian, and one of the phrases that husbands engaged in study learn to repeat to their wives is Wegen des Unterrichts habe ich keine Zeit, oder? (‘Because of my lessons, I don't have time for anything, do you understand?’), as they are no longer able to take care of family, home and children, as one of the adult students, Umidžon Alidžonov, a paramedic by profession, tells Radio Ozodi.

There are in fact numerous groups of healthcare workers who aspire to move to Germany, where there is great demand for them, and they have to study medical terminology thoroughly, which is certainly not the easiest in linguistic exchanges.

As Tashkent nurse Malika Makhkamova says, “I was very afraid to start studying, but it is becoming more and more interesting. The comparison with another culture makes me understand better the concepts related to my profession and beyond”. Nurses and paramedics will be the first to be admitted to professional retraining programmes for Uzbek immigrants in Germany.

Another hospital assistant, Šakhnoza Gulmurotova, admits that ‘what attracts me is certainly the salary, but in reality, I have dreamed of travelling and seeing the world since I was a child, and so far this dream has not come true,’ while the German project is a truly special opportunity for many Uzbeks, both because of the high salaries compared to the customs of a country that is still very economically backward, and because of the mental and cultural openness that it inspires, even just by imagining being able to take advantage of it.

After all, sending its citizens to work in European countries is one of the goals recently declared by the Tashkent government itself, in response to Russia's anti-migrant campaign. As Bobur Valiev, head of the international partnership department, comments, “until recently, diversification mainly concerned the post-Soviet CIS countries, but now it is increasingly directed towards Europe, thanks to the political orientation set by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev”.

Agreements have been signed with Germany that greatly simplify the process of registering Uzbek citizens for work in German companies, a very forward-looking choice considering that Uzbekistan's young population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home.

Uzbeks can now easily find employment in many sectors besides healthcare, such as transport and logistics, construction and large industries. The procedure for obtaining a visa with a work permit is quick, but always requires participation in special study and qualification programmes, and Berlin has made 50,000 jobs available to Tashkent for the first part of this programme.