Comparative and International Higher Education Policy Specialist; Focus on Central Asia
One last reform to Uzbekistan's higher education system rounds out another busy year of change in that country. New rules are coming in that will allow certain universities greater autonomy over who they choose to lead them and will also create a new supervisory board structure similar to a governing body. From plans to create …
Continue reading Starting from the top: Steps towards autonomy in Uzbekistan’s universities
There was no love lost this Valentine's Day as ten university leaders in Uzbekistan were fired It was not an auspicious Valentine's day for ten of Uzbekistan's university leaders this year, with several newspapers running a story with the tantalizing title '10 university Rectors lose their jobs in one day' on February 14. If previous …
Continue reading You’re fired: 10 university heads lose their jobs in Uzbekistan
Following the firing of the Rector of Tashkent's 'most corrupt university' in August 2019, another university leader has been shown the door. Rector Bahodyr Khodiev of Tashkent State University of Economics (TSUE) was suspended in November 2019 on the grounds of corruption. Details of Khodiev's alleged activities have not been made public, but this very …
Continue reading More changes at the top of Uzbekistan’s universities
Imagine you were unjustly accused of massive corruption and fired from your job. It's an indignity. But then imagine that you've been fighting for well over a decade in no fewer than 14 courts to clear your name, each time with an unsatisfactory ending - or simply no real conclusion at all. During that time, …
Ever wondered how university leaders get chosen? And specifically, how this process works in Kazakhstan? I thought so. A recent article on Kazakh website BNews offers a great ‘Who’s Who’ at the top echelons of Kazakhstan’s higher education system in its report on the competition for the top spot at three of the country’s …
At the start of this year, I shared a great article on the nascent University of Central Asia from Devex and Michael Igoe. If you enjoyed that, you'll be pleased to hear that the article in fact came in three parts. In part two, A classroom for the mountains, Igoe discusses the intensity and rigour with which the undergraduate …
Continue reading A mountain to climb? Educating leaders for Central Asia
Emma Sabzalieva 