Over the past 8 years, Uzbekistan has become a space of profound reforms across all sectors. During this period, significant changes have also taken place in the education system, which forms the backbone of the social sphere.
In particular, the volume of educational services increased sevenfold between 2017 and 2024 from 4.4 trillion sums in 2017 to 31.9 trillion sums in 2024. Overall, the key directions of reform in the education sector have been the broad engagement of the private sector and the development of public–private partnerships.
The measures and reforms carried out have had a particularly strong impact on the preschool education system. While in 2017 there were only 1.4 thousand non-state preschool institutions, by 2024 their number exceeded 31 thousand. As a result, preschool enrollment grew from 932 thousand to 2.5 million children — an increase by a factor of 2.5.
Notable achievements have also been made in general secondary education. The number of schools in the country increased from 9,671 in 2017 to 10,943 in 2024. Supported by the private sector, the number of private schools rose from 84 to 455.
Over the past 8 years, large-scale construction and reconstruction efforts have been undertaken: in 2017, 362 schools were renovated and 47.5 thousand student places were created, while in 2024, 608 schools underwent major reconstruction, providing more than 180 thousand new student places.
During this period, the number of higher education institutions grew from 77 (including 7 non-state) to 211 (including 99 non-state). As a result, higher education enrollment increased from 23% to 43%. The number of university students rose from about 280 thousand in 2017 to 1.2 million in 2024 — a 4.8-fold increase.
Reforms have also significantly expanded opportunities for academic personnel. While in 2017 the doctoral admission quota was only 247, by 2024 this figure had grown to 9,026. As a result, the academic capacity of universities increased from 32% in 2017 to 44% in 2024.
Shukhratjon Khonkulov, CERR
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