VZCZCXRO4280
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK
RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNEH RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #1926/01 3030653
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300652Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1467
INFO ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

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