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

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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.



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