Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TASHKENT331
2009-03-19 13:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tashkent
Cable title:
UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION AT A
how-toVZCZCXRO4839 RR RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHNT #0331/01 0781310 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 191310Z MAR 09 FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0631 INFO CIS COLLECTIVE NATO EU COLLECTIVE RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0142 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0200 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0160 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0157 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0160 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0191 RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0147 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 TASHKENT 000331
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL, AND INR
ASTANA FOR ALMATY/USAID
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KPAO OEXC PGOV PREL SCUL SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION AT A
GLANCE
TASHKENT 00000331 001.2 OF 005
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 TASHKENT 000331
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL, AND INR
ASTANA FOR ALMATY/USAID
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KPAO OEXC PGOV PREL SCUL SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION AT A
GLANCE
TASHKENT 00000331 001.2 OF 005
1. (SBU) Summary: A contact recently provided a copy of a
government document entitled "Index of the Ministry of Public
Education for the 2007-2008 Academic Year," which provides a useful
snapshot of the country's primary and secondary education system.
The document shows that few students study at Russian-language
schools; teachers are well-educated; and that the teacher to
student ratio is relatively low. It also hints at a declining
birth rate since independence. As the document is from last year,
it does not reflect the transition from 9 to 12-year mandatory free
secondary education, which is expected to be completed in 2009
(septel). Undoubtedly, the government has made primary and
secondary education reform a major priority in recent years and has
invested significant funds into refurbishing old schools and
building new ones, particularly in rural regions. Nevertheless,
the quality of education still suffers due to low teacher salaries,
the use of outdated teaching methodologies, and a lack of teaching
resources. Separately, contacts also have discussed the current
state of Uzbekistan's system of higher education with Cultural
Affairs Officer (septel). End summary.
FEW STUDENTS NOW STUDYING PRIMARILY IN RUSSIAN
-------------- -
2. (SBU) Interestingly, the document demonstrates that a wide
variety of foreign languages are taught in Uzbek schools, including
Russian, Karakalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Turkmen. However,
the overall number of students studying at schools where the
primary language of instruction is Russian has greatly declined
since independence. Last year, only 5.3 percent of students in
Uzbekistan studied at Russian-language schools. In contrast,
nearly 89 percent of students studied at Uzbek-language schools
(though an unknown percentage of those students continued to take
Russian as a foreign language). The statistics not only point to a
general decline in the use of Russian in Uzbekistan since
independence, but also suggests that Russian will continue to lose
relevance over time.
TEACHERS ARE RELATIVELY WELL-EDUCATED (BUT POORLY PAID)
-------------- --------------
3. (U) The document also shows that teachers in Uzbekistan are
relatively well-educated for a developing country. Nearly 70
percent of teachers at Uzbek primary and secondary schools have a
university degree, while a majority of the remaining teachers
either have some university education or received a teaching degree
from a vocational school. The document also shows a relatively low
teacher to student ratio of approximately 12 students per each
teacher.
4. (SBU) While teachers in Uzbekistan are relatively
well-educated, they remain poorly paid. In previous years,
teachers could make as little as 40 dollars a month, and wages were
not always paid on time. Many teachers are forced to moonlight as
private tutors, often for their own students, or in other jobs to
make ends meet, which has a negative impact on the quality of
education that Uzbek students receive. Recently, teacher wages
have increased, and most teachers now appear to make roughly 100
dollars a month on average. Nevertheless, the effect of this wage
increase has been dulled by relatively high levels of inflation in
recent years. Corruption in the educational system, including
grade-buying, remains endemic. Another problem is that many
teachers, who were either educated in the Soviet era or in the
TASHKENT 00000331 002.2 OF 005
early post-Soviet era, still employ outdated teaching
methodologies. There is also a dearth of quality Uzbek-language
textbooks.
TRYING TO DIVINE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM LIMITED SOURCES
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) Acquiring reliable demographic data is particularly
challenging in Uzbekistan, where the government has refrained from
carrying out an official census since independence (Note: Some
observers contend the government fears a census because it would
show that the ethnic Tajik portion of the population is much larger
than officially reported or would reveal the true extent of labor
outmigration from the country in recent years. End note.)
Interestingly, the Education Ministry document reports that there
were approximately one million more students studying in grades
five to nine in 2007-2008 than in grades one to four. Along the
same lines, the Ministry of Education recently reported that
5,180,217 students are attending Uzbeks schools this academic year
(septel),a decline from the 5,390,490 students who were reportedly
attending Uzbek schools last year. While it is difficult to draw
reliable conclusions from such limited data, the document
nevertheless hints at a gradually declining birth rate since
independence (Note: Multiple other sources reported that the
overall population of Uzbekistan grew last year and now stands at
approximately 28.3 million, while 42 percent of the population is
under 18 years old of age. End note.) The percentage of Uzbek
children attending school is still believed to be almost 100
percent.
STATISTICS FROM MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DOCUMENT
-------------- -
6. (U) Some of the more interesting statistics from the Ministry
of Education document include:
Number of Schools: 9,765
Number of Students at Primary and Secondary Schools: 5,390,490
- Students in grades 1 to 4: 2,071,785
- Students in grades 5 to 9: 3,024,196
- Students in grades 10 to 11: 294,509
Number of Teachers at Primary and Secondary Schools: 450,327 (68
percent of whom are women)
Educational Background of School Teachers:
- Number of teachers with university degrees: 308,560 (68.5
percent)
- Number of teachers who attended but did not complete university:
20,847 (4.6 percent)
TASHKENT 00000331 003.2 OF 005
- Number of teachers who completed vocational school: 120,920 (26.9
percent)
Number of Pedagogical Institutes: 5
- Number of pedagogical institute instructors: 2,683
- Number of pedagogical institute students: 35,638
Number of Teacher Training Colleges: 16
Number of Schools by language of instruction:
- Uzbek: 8,867
- Russian: 739
- Kazakh: 505
- Karakalpak: 383
- Tajik: 267
- Kyrgyz: 62
- Turkmen: 50
(Note: As the number of schools by language listed above exceeds
the total number of schools reported in the first line, it is most
likely that schools with two primary languages of instruction are
counted twice. Contacts in Bukhara and Samarkand also have
reported the closing of virtually all Tajik-language schools in
those cities, though Tajik-language schools may operate elsewhere,
and some Uzbek-language schools in Bukhara and Samarkand with a
majority of Tajik-speaking students and teachers might still be
officially counted as Tajik-language, even if the instruction is
now mainly in Uzbek. End note.)
Number of Students by language of instruction
- Uzbek: 4,792,685 (88.9 percent)
- Russian: 287,414 (5.3 percent)
- Karakalpak: 106,252 (1.9 percent)
- Kazakh: 89,040 (1.65 percent)
- Tajik: 92,523 (1.7 percent)
- Kyrgyz: 12,637 (.23 percent)
- Turkmen: 9,939 (.18 percent)
Number of Specialized Schools for Disabled Children: 89
- Schools for the blind: 13
- Schools for the deaf: 18
- Schools for the mentally handicapped: 53
TASHKENT 00000331 004.2 OF 005
- Schools for children with orthopedic problems: 1
- Schools for children with severe speech problems: 1
- Schools for "difficult children": 3
- Total number of students at such schools: 18,923
Number of Orphanages: 28
- Number of children at orphanages: 2,790
- Number of "family type" orphanages (where children live with
foster parents): 5
- Number of children at "family type" orphanages: 50
Number of preschool organizations: 6,232
- Number of preschool teachers: 57,737
- Number preschool students: 554,171
- Number of private daycare facilities: 60
TRANSITION TO 12-YEAR FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION
-------------- -
7. (U) The Ministry of Public Education reported that Uzbekistan's
transition from 9-year to 12-year mandatory free secondary
education would be fully implemented two years ahead of schedule in
2009. Students will now attend primary and secondary schools to
grade 9, and then colleges (vocational schools) or lyceums
(academic-focused high schools) for grades 10 through 12. To
accommodate the switch to a 12-year system, the government has
invested enormous sums over the last decade to build approximately
1,100 new colleges and lyceums, which are clearly visible to anyone
who travels around the country. The government also has spent
large sums in recent years to refurbish old primary and secondary
schools and to open new ones. However, some residents complain
that the government is pouring money into primary and secondary
schools, whose graduates will not be able to find jobs or study at
university upon graduation (septel).
UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
--------------
8. (U) Contacts also have described the current state of higher
education in discussions with Emboffs over the past year. One of
the major complaints reported by contacts is that the growth of the
higher education system has not kept pace with population growth.
Uzbekistan currently lags behind almost all of its Central Asian
neighbors in university enrollment. The World Bank recently
reported that only 8 percent of Uzbek students who completed
secondary school were accepted into Uzbek universities.
COMMENT
TASHKENT 00000331 005.2 OF 005
--------------
9. (SBU) Undoubtedly, the government has made primary and
secondary education reform a major priority in recent years. The
expansion of mandatory free secondary education to 12 years is a
positive development. In recent years, the government also has
poured significant funds into refurbishing old schools and building
new ones, particularly in rural areas, where the need for new
schools is greatest. However, the quality of education in
Uzbekistan still suffers due to the poor wages paid to teachers,
which encourages corruption and forces many teachers to work second
jobs. Instead of devoting nearly all of the funds earmarked for
education into constructing new schools, a more effective approach
would be to use some of the money to raise teacher salaries,
purchase resources (including books and computers),develop quality
Uzbek-language textbooks, and promote more modern teaching
methodologies.
NORLAND
SIPDIS SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, DRL, AND INR
ASTANA FOR ALMATY/USAID
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ECON ELAB KPAO OEXC PGOV PREL SCUL SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION AT A
GLANCE
TASHKENT 00000331 001.2 OF 005
1. (SBU) Summary: A contact recently provided a copy of a
government document entitled "Index of the Ministry of Public
Education for the 2007-2008 Academic Year," which provides a useful
snapshot of the country's primary and secondary education system.
The document shows that few students study at Russian-language
schools; teachers are well-educated; and that the teacher to
student ratio is relatively low. It also hints at a declining
birth rate since independence. As the document is from last year,
it does not reflect the transition from 9 to 12-year mandatory free
secondary education, which is expected to be completed in 2009
(septel). Undoubtedly, the government has made primary and
secondary education reform a major priority in recent years and has
invested significant funds into refurbishing old schools and
building new ones, particularly in rural regions. Nevertheless,
the quality of education still suffers due to low teacher salaries,
the use of outdated teaching methodologies, and a lack of teaching
resources. Separately, contacts also have discussed the current
state of Uzbekistan's system of higher education with Cultural
Affairs Officer (septel). End summary.
FEW STUDENTS NOW STUDYING PRIMARILY IN RUSSIAN
-------------- -
2. (SBU) Interestingly, the document demonstrates that a wide
variety of foreign languages are taught in Uzbek schools, including
Russian, Karakalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Turkmen. However,
the overall number of students studying at schools where the
primary language of instruction is Russian has greatly declined
since independence. Last year, only 5.3 percent of students in
Uzbekistan studied at Russian-language schools. In contrast,
nearly 89 percent of students studied at Uzbek-language schools
(though an unknown percentage of those students continued to take
Russian as a foreign language). The statistics not only point to a
general decline in the use of Russian in Uzbekistan since
independence, but also suggests that Russian will continue to lose
relevance over time.
TEACHERS ARE RELATIVELY WELL-EDUCATED (BUT POORLY PAID)
-------------- --------------
3. (U) The document also shows that teachers in Uzbekistan are
relatively well-educated for a developing country. Nearly 70
percent of teachers at Uzbek primary and secondary schools have a
university degree, while a majority of the remaining teachers
either have some university education or received a teaching degree
from a vocational school. The document also shows a relatively low
teacher to student ratio of approximately 12 students per each
teacher.
4. (SBU) While teachers in Uzbekistan are relatively
well-educated, they remain poorly paid. In previous years,
teachers could make as little as 40 dollars a month, and wages were
not always paid on time. Many teachers are forced to moonlight as
private tutors, often for their own students, or in other jobs to
make ends meet, which has a negative impact on the quality of
education that Uzbek students receive. Recently, teacher wages
have increased, and most teachers now appear to make roughly 100
dollars a month on average. Nevertheless, the effect of this wage
increase has been dulled by relatively high levels of inflation in
recent years. Corruption in the educational system, including
grade-buying, remains endemic. Another problem is that many
teachers, who were either educated in the Soviet era or in the
TASHKENT 00000331 002.2 OF 005
early post-Soviet era, still employ outdated teaching
methodologies. There is also a dearth of quality Uzbek-language
textbooks.
TRYING TO DIVINE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA FROM LIMITED SOURCES
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) Acquiring reliable demographic data is particularly
challenging in Uzbekistan, where the government has refrained from
carrying out an official census since independence (Note: Some
observers contend the government fears a census because it would
show that the ethnic Tajik portion of the population is much larger
than officially reported or would reveal the true extent of labor
outmigration from the country in recent years. End note.)
Interestingly, the Education Ministry document reports that there
were approximately one million more students studying in grades
five to nine in 2007-2008 than in grades one to four. Along the
same lines, the Ministry of Education recently reported that
5,180,217 students are attending Uzbeks schools this academic year
(septel),a decline from the 5,390,490 students who were reportedly
attending Uzbek schools last year. While it is difficult to draw
reliable conclusions from such limited data, the document
nevertheless hints at a gradually declining birth rate since
independence (Note: Multiple other sources reported that the
overall population of Uzbekistan grew last year and now stands at
approximately 28.3 million, while 42 percent of the population is
under 18 years old of age. End note.) The percentage of Uzbek
children attending school is still believed to be almost 100
percent.
STATISTICS FROM MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DOCUMENT
-------------- -
6. (U) Some of the more interesting statistics from the Ministry
of Education document include:
Number of Schools: 9,765
Number of Students at Primary and Secondary Schools: 5,390,490
- Students in grades 1 to 4: 2,071,785
- Students in grades 5 to 9: 3,024,196
- Students in grades 10 to 11: 294,509
Number of Teachers at Primary and Secondary Schools: 450,327 (68
percent of whom are women)
Educational Background of School Teachers:
- Number of teachers with university degrees: 308,560 (68.5
percent)
- Number of teachers who attended but did not complete university:
20,847 (4.6 percent)
TASHKENT 00000331 003.2 OF 005
- Number of teachers who completed vocational school: 120,920 (26.9
percent)
Number of Pedagogical Institutes: 5
- Number of pedagogical institute instructors: 2,683
- Number of pedagogical institute students: 35,638
Number of Teacher Training Colleges: 16
Number of Schools by language of instruction:
- Uzbek: 8,867
- Russian: 739
- Kazakh: 505
- Karakalpak: 383
- Tajik: 267
- Kyrgyz: 62
- Turkmen: 50
(Note: As the number of schools by language listed above exceeds
the total number of schools reported in the first line, it is most
likely that schools with two primary languages of instruction are
counted twice. Contacts in Bukhara and Samarkand also have
reported the closing of virtually all Tajik-language schools in
those cities, though Tajik-language schools may operate elsewhere,
and some Uzbek-language schools in Bukhara and Samarkand with a
majority of Tajik-speaking students and teachers might still be
officially counted as Tajik-language, even if the instruction is
now mainly in Uzbek. End note.)
Number of Students by language of instruction
- Uzbek: 4,792,685 (88.9 percent)
- Russian: 287,414 (5.3 percent)
- Karakalpak: 106,252 (1.9 percent)
- Kazakh: 89,040 (1.65 percent)
- Tajik: 92,523 (1.7 percent)
- Kyrgyz: 12,637 (.23 percent)
- Turkmen: 9,939 (.18 percent)
Number of Specialized Schools for Disabled Children: 89
- Schools for the blind: 13
- Schools for the deaf: 18
- Schools for the mentally handicapped: 53
TASHKENT 00000331 004.2 OF 005
- Schools for children with orthopedic problems: 1
- Schools for children with severe speech problems: 1
- Schools for "difficult children": 3
- Total number of students at such schools: 18,923
Number of Orphanages: 28
- Number of children at orphanages: 2,790
- Number of "family type" orphanages (where children live with
foster parents): 5
- Number of children at "family type" orphanages: 50
Number of preschool organizations: 6,232
- Number of preschool teachers: 57,737
- Number preschool students: 554,171
- Number of private daycare facilities: 60
TRANSITION TO 12-YEAR FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION
-------------- -
7. (U) The Ministry of Public Education reported that Uzbekistan's
transition from 9-year to 12-year mandatory free secondary
education would be fully implemented two years ahead of schedule in
2009. Students will now attend primary and secondary schools to
grade 9, and then colleges (vocational schools) or lyceums
(academic-focused high schools) for grades 10 through 12. To
accommodate the switch to a 12-year system, the government has
invested enormous sums over the last decade to build approximately
1,100 new colleges and lyceums, which are clearly visible to anyone
who travels around the country. The government also has spent
large sums in recent years to refurbish old primary and secondary
schools and to open new ones. However, some residents complain
that the government is pouring money into primary and secondary
schools, whose graduates will not be able to find jobs or study at
university upon graduation (septel).
UZBEKISTAN'S SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION
--------------
8. (U) Contacts also have described the current state of higher
education in discussions with Emboffs over the past year. One of
the major complaints reported by contacts is that the growth of the
higher education system has not kept pace with population growth.
Uzbekistan currently lags behind almost all of its Central Asian
neighbors in university enrollment. The World Bank recently
reported that only 8 percent of Uzbek students who completed
secondary school were accepted into Uzbek universities.
COMMENT
TASHKENT 00000331 005.2 OF 005
--------------
9. (SBU) Undoubtedly, the government has made primary and
secondary education reform a major priority in recent years. The
expansion of mandatory free secondary education to 12 years is a
positive development. In recent years, the government also has
poured significant funds into refurbishing old schools and building
new ones, particularly in rural areas, where the need for new
schools is greatest. However, the quality of education in
Uzbekistan still suffers due to the poor wages paid to teachers,
which encourages corruption and forces many teachers to work second
jobs. Instead of devoting nearly all of the funds earmarked for
education into constructing new schools, a more effective approach
would be to use some of the money to raise teacher salaries,
purchase resources (including books and computers),develop quality
Uzbek-language textbooks, and promote more modern teaching
methodologies.
NORLAND