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
My latest piece for University World News, a global online publication for anyone with a passing interest in higher education, was published on October 19. I wanted to bring UWN's readership up to date with recent developments in Uzbekistan, which have been taking place at breakneck speed over the past couple of years. Please find …
Continue reading Uzbekistan: A breathtaking shift from autocracy to an open HE system
Uzbekistan watchers must be exhausted with the near-constant flow of news about reforms in the country, but as the reforms appear to be supporting people in the country to live better and happier lives, this is a fatigue worth accepting. I've written a summary of the reforms that are affecting higher education and about a wave …
Continue reading Politics is back (on the curriculum) in Uzbekistan
If you should find yourself in Pittsburgh, PA, today - October 27, 2018 - please join us at the Central Eurasian Studies Society's 2018 Annual Conference for our roundable on Global Bolognaization: Central Asian Encounters with the European Higher Education Area. Followers of my blog may remember the call for proposals that co-convenor Aliya Akatayeva …
In an interview with Gazeta.uz [ru] published on 18 September, Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov offers some insights into higher education reforms in the country. The list is impressively long, indicative of broader reform trends taking place across government and in society as a whole. In higher education, I've already flagged Uzbekistan's growing interest in …
Avaz Saifiddinov, a journalist with as-independent-as-is-possible-in-Tajikistan Asia-Plus media group, this week reports [ru] – in almost apocalyptic terms – on the devastating impact that a lack of education and skills training can bring to a nation. He calls this qualification deficit the single biggest problem facing Tajikistan today, more so than corruption, lack of electricity …
Linking closely to my most recent post about an article on growing social gaps in Kazakhstan, I read an article today about protest culture in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. As with the Kazakh story, whilst this BBC article does not directly link to higher education, there are definitely possibilities for interaction. This gives rise to some questions. …
Another re-posting, this time from Central Asia Online (http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/newsbriefs/2012/05/01/newsbrief-04). If anyone out there knows Kyrgyz and would be prepared to summarise the interview for me, please get in touch! (The Russian version is the same as the English one). Otunbayeva calls for higher education reform Staff Report 2012-05-01 BISHKEK – Former Kyrgyz president Roza Otunbayeva …
Continue reading Former President calls for higher education reform in Kyrgyzstan
Emma Sabzalieva 