Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth

Figure 3.8: Gross Enrollment Rates and Gender Parity Index in 
Tertiary Education, Uzbekistan, 1999–2017
Male (LHS)
Female (LHS)
Total (LHS)
Gender parity index (RHS)
0
10
8
6
4
2
12
14
16
18
0.0
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Percent
Index
1999
2000
2001
2006
2008
2011
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2002
2003
2004
2005
2007
2009
2010
2012

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Uzbekistan Quality Job Creation as a Cornerstone for Sustainable Economic Growth
International evidence suggests that HEIs’ degree of autonomy is positively 
linked to the management of human and financial resources, research 
performance, and the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment 
(World Bank 2014). The current management structure of HEIs in Uzbekistan, 
with several levels of guiding and controlling bodies, is rigid and impedes 
adjustments in the provision of higher education services in response to 
changing needs of the market economy and to particular skill demands in the 
labor market. 
HEIs in Uzbekistan have very limited freedom in choosing the curriculum: 95% 
of the HEIs are under the control of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary 
Special Education, which sets state education standards and thus limits the 
level of flexibility (World Bank 2014). The lack of freedom results in lower 
creativity and innovation in teaching, research, and academic processes, and 
limits students’ abilities to gain additional qualifications and have double
major programs. 
Even with the government as regulator, HEIs should be given greater autonomy 
in designing programs they offer, more flexibility in curriculum management, 
more choice of student enrollment numbers, and greater control of their 
management. Such autonomy is necessary to encourage and support the 
development of a competitive environment in the higher education sector, 
with players competing for the best staff, students, and projects that generate 
extra-budgetary income (e.g., research and development projects, training 
programs, etc.). Considering the growing mismatch between the demand for 
and supply of tertiary education services, initiatives to support private sector 
entry into the sector should be considered, provided the government retains 
its regulation, supervision, and quality oversight roles.
One-fourth of the universities in the 2019 nonacademic ranking of all HEIs 
in Uzbekistan are international universities (Table 3.2). This may signal a 
high demand for education in English as the language of instruction, and for 
subjects such as ICT and business, finance, management, and economics. The 
majority of universities listed below do not offer majors in science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 
Furthermore, analysis of the webometrics ranking of universities by 
Cybermetrics Lab (Table 3.3) shows that only the National University of 
Uzbekistan was in the world’s top 5,000 universities, indicating that much 
more can still be done to strengthen the state of higher education in the 
country and make it globally competitive and recognizable.

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