Comparative and International Higher Education Policy Specialist; Focus on Central Asia
In May 2023 I had the privilege to speak at a conference organized by Tashkent State University of Economics (TSUE) in Uzbekistan. The conference was opened by the Minister of Higher Education and TSUE's Rector, with an interesting line-up of international speakers who shared research and ideas on the broad topic of educational quality. On …
Continue reading Higher education internationalization in Uzbekistan and Central Asia
Curious to know more about trends in higher education internationalization in Central Asia? What might lie ahead for academic mobility in the pandemic/post-pandemic era? How the pandemic has driven innovation in digitalization of academic mobility? Then you will likely want to tune in to my public lecture Digital future? Virtual academic mobility and the prospects …
Here's a link to a very interesting recent story from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by the excellent Bermet Talant. In this piece, Talant interviews a university student in Tajikistan and an instructor at a private university in Uzbekistan about the higher education landscape as seen from their perspectives. You can read the key takeaways or …
Continue reading The challenges of higher education in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
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
With a lineage that goes back well over a thousand years, it might seem surprising that political science in Uzbekistan is considered a relatively new subject for teaching and research. Why yes, we can talk politics in Uzbekistan (as of 2019) As pointed in an excellent review of the development of political science recently published …
Continue reading Politics with pedigree: Tracing the long history of political science in Uzbekistan
I've spent many a happy hour enjoying the challenge of finding a vaguely suitable cat meme to go with many of my blog posts Somehow, the tenth anniversary of this blog has rolled around. From my very first post published on 30 September 2011, I've published 345 posts, averaging around three posts a month. In …
I'm happy to see the long-awaited publication of a book chapter on national approaches to university rankings in Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and Latin America in the volume Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge, edited by Michelle Stack. Our chapter, co-authored with Creso Sá, Nadiia Kachynska and Magdalena Martinez, reviews …
A new Presidential University seeks to emulate Oxford in Uzbekistan. What are the prospects for a world-class university in the country?
New regulations in Russia are making it easier for international students to work whilst studying
Covid-cat is ready to go back to school (if it's open) The impending start of the 2020/21 school year is presenting challenges for teachers, students, parents, and governments around the world. Although some countries have managed to come up with a plan, many are still fumbling in the COVID-19 induced darkness, even with September just …
Emma Sabzalieva 