UZBEKISTAN: UNIVERSITIES NOT MEETING DEMAND FOR HIGHER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TASHKENT 000415 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT. FOR SCA/CEN SCA/PPD DRL AND INR ASTANA FOR ALMATY/USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OEXC ECON KPAO PGOV PREL SCUL SOCI UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: UNIVERSITIES NOT MEETING DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION REF: TASHKENT 327; TASHKENT 331 Sensitve But Unclassified ¶1. (SBU) Summary: At a recent Embassy-sponsored Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP) alumni reunion, one alumnus, a lecturer at a private university, revealed that the growth of the higher education system in Uzbekistan is not keeping pace with demand. Uzbekistan also lags behind its Central Asian neighbors in the ratio of students enrolled to total population. A few private universities have opened and their graduates are usually highly sought after by employers, but these universities face challenges. Separately, a contact provided poloff with Ministry of Public Education statistics on Uzbekistans system of primary and secondary education (reftels). End summary. MORE STUDENTS, BUT LIMITED UNIVERSITY OPPORTUNITIES -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) With 42 percent of the population in Uzbekistan under 18, universities capacity to absorb new students is outpaced by the growing number of young people in the country (Note: While the population continues to grow, we see some indication that overall enrollment in high schools has been declining. Ref B. End note). The number of students enrolling in institutions of higher education each year is growing, from 41,000 in 2000 to 55,400 in 2006. Total university enrollment has also grown in the same period, from 183,600 in 2000 to 286,300 in 2006. ¶3. (U) The alumnus pointed out that Uzbekistans literacy rate of 99.3 percent is on par with other industrialized countries, yet by other measures Uzbekistan lags behind developed countries. He explained that on average, 32 percent of the potential workforce aged 2565 in industrially developed countries has a higher education. In contrast, the World Bank reported that in 2007 a mere 8.3 percent of graduating seniors in Uzbekistan were accepted into universities. ¶4. (U) He noted that the student-teacher ratio has slipped as enrollment grows and the universities struggle to retain qualified instructors. According to the Uzbek State Statistics Committee, in 2001 there were 171 students per teacher; by 2006, that number had risen to 254. ¶5. (U) Uzbekistan also lags behind almost all of its Central Asian neighbors in university enrollment. According to the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) National Human Development Report, in 2005 the number of students enrolled per 1,000 citizens in Uzbekistan was 10.6. In Kazakhstan this ratio was 52, and even in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the ratios were 17 and 41 respectively. Only Turkmenistan has a lower ratio than Uzbekistan. PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES A SOLUTION? -------------- ¶6. (U) The alumnus suggested that one solution is to allow more private universities to open in Uzbekistan. He argued that this would establish a competitive education market and could eventually improve the quality of education. He noted that private institutions are more market-oriented than their government-supported counterparts, and they develop programs according to market needs and demand from employers. In contrast, most state-supported universities still determine course offerings and enrollment in each department through a top-down process. With an interest in raising prestige and attracting students, almost all the private higher educational institutions in Uzbekistan assist their graduating seniors to find employment after graduation. As a result, they tend to have better post-graduation employment rates than the state universities. CHALLENGES TO PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES REMAIN -------------- ¶7. (U) Uzbekistan only has six private universities, five of which are branches of foreign universities. Three of the five are branches of Russian universities. In contrast Kazakhstan, which has a much smaller population than Uzbekistan, has 130 private universities and Georgia has 26. TASHKENT 00000415 002 OF 002 ¶8. (U) Currently, the Uzbek government is not facilitating the growth of private universities. The only private university in Uzbekistan that is not affiliated with a foreign university is the Kelajak Ilmi International Business School (IBS),which the U.S. Embassy, the American Chamber of Commerce in Uzbekistan, and other donors have supported in recent years. IBS has encountered numerous problems with Uzbek bureaucracy and the government currently does not recognize its diplomas (though this is not necessarily a major concern for its students, the majority of whom aspire to work in the private sector). ¶9. (SBU) Comment: Demand for higher education in Uzbekistan is outpacing supply and private universities represent one possible solution. The USG should take every opportunity to encourage the GOU to allow more private universities to open and should continue to support Kelajak Ilmi IBS. In 2007 the Embassy was able to offer full scholarships to several deserving students, providing them with a high quality education and supporting the university at the same time. Funds permitting, post will offer more scholarships in the future. End comment. NORLAND