E/C.12/UZB/CO/2 Education 26. The Committee expresses concern that, despite nearly universal literacy in the State party, the quality of education and teaching personnel in the rural areas is low. It is concerned that, despite the improved gender balance in secondary and vocational schools, the percentage of women students in higher education is almost a third of that of men students. It is also concerned about the decrease in the number of schools providing education in minority languages, especially Kazakh and Turkmen, and about insufficient support given to the promotion of the Tajik language (arts. 3 and 13). The Committee recommends that the State party take all necessary measures to improve the quality of education, particularly in rural areas. It also recommends greater focus on gender balance, with a view to ensuring equal access to tertiary education. It encourages the State party to foster the promotion of minority languages and to ensure the provision of education in minority languages at all levels. It invites the State party to further invest in teacher training and expand Internet access across the country. Cultural life 27. The Committee is concerned about the lack of the recognition of ethnic minorities by the State party and finds it difficult to accept that harmonious inter-ethnic relations can be ensured without acknowledging the right to cultural self-identification. It expresses concern about the State party’s statement in its report (E/C.12/UZB/2, para. 968) that thanks to ethnic cultural centres, ethnic and national groups living in the country do not consider themselves to be ethnic minorities. The Committee urges the State party to ensure that its laws protect the rights guaranteed to all ethnic groups, including the right to enjoy their cultural diversity, traditions, customs and their own languages, as well as all other manifestations of their identities and cultural ties. It refers the State party to its general comment No. 21 (2009) on the right of everyone to take part in cultural life. D. Other recommendations 28. The Committee encourages the State party to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Covenant. 29. The Committee also encourages the State party to sign and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as to accept the individual complaint mechanisms under various core human rights treaties which the State party has not accepted, with a view to further strengthening the protection of human rights by providing right holders with additional opportunities to claim their rights at the international level when domestic remedies have been exhausted. 30. The Committee requests the State party to disseminate the present concluding observations widely among all levels of society, particularly among parliamentarians, government officials and judicial authorities, and to inform the Committee of all steps taken to implement them in its next periodic report. It also encourages the State party to engage non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society in the process of discussion at the national level prior to the submission of its next periodic report. 10