Uzbekistan: GOU Demonstrates its Commitment to Education

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 001926 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SOCI OEXC ECON UZ SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: GOU Demonstrates its Commitment to Education ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. With over 60% of its population under the age of 25, Uzbekistan has made a significant commitment in the last few years to improve its education system and to transition from a Soviet-era model to one that is consistent with internationally accepted requirements. The Government of Uzbekistan (GOU) currently is completing a five year educational reform program that has made tangible progress in modernizing the system. However, there are a number of issues still to be addressed, including clear inequalities between urban and rural schools and corruption, particularly at the university level. END SUMMARY. TRANSITION TO TWELVE YEARS OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION ¶2. (U) Uzbekistan's educational system includes preschool training, basic/general secondary education, vocational education and higher education (undergraduate and graduate programs). Girls and boys are treated equally and study in the same classes. Officially, the literacy rate is 99%, although that number is probably inflated. 80% of children study in Uzbek, but there is increasing demand for Russian language schools -- Russian is still the major language for business in the region. Instruction and text books are also provided in the Tadjik, Karakalpak, Kazakh, and Kirghiz languages in some areas. ¶3. (U) Uzbekistan has recently replaced its Soviet-style eleven-year system with a twelve year compulsory system: all students complete nine years of basic education, after which they may enroll in academic lyceums or three-year vocational "professional colleges." Graduates of both lyceums and colleges may enroll in a university upon completion. Currently, there are approximately 9,760 secondary schools and more than sixty universities in Uzbekistan. Demand for higher education is strong -- the Uzbek State Testing Center reported that 337,000 thousand applications were submitted for the 2009/10 school year to institutions of higher education (i.e., for every university spot, there are six applicants willing to fill it.) This strong demand has led to growing concern over corruption in university admissions and exams. ADDITIONAL REFORMS TARGET EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING ¶4. (U) In 2004, Uzbekistan launched the first phase of the National Program for School Education Development. This initiative aims to improve the overall quality of education through constructing new schools, renovating current institutions, investing in equipment, and training and retaining teachers. To date, the GOU has renovated some 8,500 schools and has increased the number of schools with computer equipment from 15% in 2005 to over 80% as of September ¶2009. Uzbekistan has already reached the United Nations' 2015 Millennium Development Goal for universal primary education, and the UNDP's 2007-2008 National Human Development Report for Uzbekistan estimates that public expenditures on education exceeded 10 percent of Uzbekistan's GDP. ¶5. (U) Foreign organizations have also contributed greatly to the reform effort. In 2007, the World Bank provided $15 million for a project focusing on training teachers and creating more efficient education budgets. USAID provided $1 million of technical assistance between 2004 and 2007. Other major donors include the Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Bank, as well as the South Korean, Saudi and Chinese governments. WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION A CAUSE FOR CONCERN ¶6. (SBU) Significant areas for improvement still remain. Rural schools in Uzbekistan continue to trail their urban equivalents in terms of enrollment and resources. School libraries generally are small and have only a percentage of required materials. Teacher salaries are minimal, driving many of the most talented instructors away from the field into more rewarding positions. (Note: The GOU states that teachers' salaries are higher than in other CIS TASHKENT 00001926 002 OF 002 countries; however, education salaries still trail those of other professionals in Uzbekistan.) Perhaps most significantly, widespread corruption threatens to undermine the education system. Education through secondary school is free, however the law allows for "voluntary donations" to teachers and administrators. Many teachers rely upon such "donations" from students to augment their official salaries, and there are widespread reports that such donations result in higher grades for students. University admissions are increasingly becoming restricted to those few students whose families are wealthy enough to afford bribes paid to overcome entrance exam requirements, which reportedly can range as high as $7,000 to $10,000 for particular university faculties. NORLAND NORLAND