Teaching computer science in Uzbek: what we learned building Softromeda Edu

When we started Softromeda Edu, the assumption we kept hearing was that serious programming material has to be in English. Learners would pick up the language along the way.

In practice, that means beginners fight two unfamiliar systems at once. Dropping one of them changes the outcome dramatically.

What actually helped

• Variable and function names in Uzbek in the first lessons, so the syntax is the only new thing.
• Twenty short sections per course rather than a handful of long ones — progress you can see is progress you keep.
• Diagrams and tables in every section, because a description of a data structure is not the same as a picture of one.

The platform is free and stays free. That was never a marketing decision.