AN OVERVIEW OF UZBEKISTAN’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: PAST AND FUTURE

Abstract

According to the State Committee on Statistics of Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan’s population reached to more than 30 million in 2013 and increased by 1.4 per cent since early 2011. Currently, more than 36 per cent of Uzbekistan population lives in urban areas and more than 60 per cent of the population lives in densely populated rural communities. Moreover, Uzbekistan is one of the largest cotton producing and exporting countries of the world (sixth largest cotton producer and fifth largest exporter) as well as it has large deposits of gold, uranium, natural gas and various commodities (The World Bank, 2014). This research is dedicated to presenting a descriptive overview of the Uzbek education system, including the higher education system regarding reforms, administrative structure and finance. According of the analysis of the higher education sector, important suggestions for further improvements are also provided at the end of this study.