Education in Uzbekistan

Education in Uzbekistan is generally managed by the Ministry of Kindergartens and Schools and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations with some other agencies and bodies responsible in certain areas as prescribed by the President of Uzbekistan.

The public compulsory school system is divided into three broad stages: primary (from Grade 1 to 5), secondary (from Grade 5 to 9) and upper or vocational (from Grade 10 to 11 or in lyceum, colleges, trade schools). Students are typically enrolled at the age of 7 and commonly end their secondary education at the age of 18, therefrom they either start their career or matriculate at a university.

Upper or vocational education is provided through a network of schools:
 * Professionalno-Tehnicheskoye Uchilishe (PTU or Professional Technical School). Graduates receive a Junior Specialist Diploma equal to a Certificate of Complete Secondary Education.
 * Tehnikum (Technical College). Graduates receive a Junior Specialist Diploma equal to a Certificate of Complete Secondary Education.
 * Lytsei (Lyceum) or various training courses offered by higher education institutions or industry. Graduates receive a Junior Specialist Diploma or Diploma of Academic Lyceum equal to a Certificate of Complete Secondary Education.

In 2017, education reforms in Uzbekistan changed from 12-year program to 11 years after a previous reform disappointed and troubled parents and children. Eleven years of primary and secondary education are obligatory, starting at age seven. The rate of attendance in those grades is high, although the figure is significantly lower in rural areas than in urban centers. Preschool registration has decreased significantly since 1991.

Higher education
Entrance exams for public universities, commonly referred to as DTM, are administered by the State Test Center. These exams hold significant weight as they establish the cut-off points from the applicants' pool for the same program. Consequently, they serve as a sole criterion for awarding scholarships.

Falling public standards
The official literacy rate is 99 percent. However, in the post-Soviet era educational standards have fallen. Funding and training have not been sufficient to effectively educate the expanding younger cohorts of the population. Between 1992 and 2004, government spending on education dropped from 12 percent to 6.3 percent of gross domestic product.

In 2006 education’s share of the budget increased to 8.1 percent. Lack of budgetary support has been more noticeable at the primary and secondary levels, as the government has continued to subsidize university students.

Between 1992 and 2001, university attendance dropped from 19 percent of the college-age population to 6.4 percent. The three largest of Uzbekistan’s 63 institutions of higher learning are in Nukus, Samarkand, and Tashkent, with all three being state funded.