Asian development bank

Government Commitments

Reforms have been introduced to improve all sub-sectors of the education system. a special Ministry on preschool education was established in 2017.²⁰⁸ Reforms in higher education

²⁰⁵ Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan. 2016. Brief Statistic Collection for 2015 Basic Indicators. tashkent. Uzbekistan.
²⁰⁶ data provided by the State Committee on Statistics to adB in September–October 2017 for this CGa update.
²⁰⁷ the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan: article 41. www.lex.uz
²⁰⁸ decree of the president #2707 (29 February 2016). On Measures for Further Improvement of Preschool Education System 2017–2021.
Mainstreaming Gender in ADB Operations, by Sector 67
present a comprehensive development program for 2017–2021, which includes measures to attract foreign experts, establishment of the State Inspection on Supervision over the Quality of education, and provides tax and customs privileges during program implementation. ²⁰⁹ Consequently, more students graduate from colleges and lyceums wishing to enter universities, making competition significantly tougher.²¹⁰

Consistent with the 2017 reforms in higher education, 15 higher educational institutions re-launched correspondence studies in diverse specialties.²¹¹ For women, this provided an

opportunity to access higher education while combining study with childcare and other family obligations. For many women, earlier suspension of the correspondence format was a significant barrier to obtaining higher education and accessing better employment opportunities.²¹²

3. Key Gender Issues

the 2016 Human development Report shows that almost 100% of the population has at least secondary education, with equal proportions for males (99.9%) and females (99.9%).²¹³ However, issue remain regarding school attendance and completion for girls and boys living in rural areas.

the Convention on elimination of all Forms of discrimination against Women (CedaW) Committee recommendation “to guarantee that the cotton harvest season does not compromise the rights of both girls and boys to education” has been met.²¹⁴ this was noted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education. as a result of public monitoring, no case of child labor (both boys and girls) has been registered since 2012.<sup>215

209</sup> decree of the president #2909 (20 april 2017). On Measures for Further Development of the System of Higher Education; decree of the president #295 (5 May 2017). On Admission of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the 2017-2018 Academic Years. this resolution determines a quota for bachelor degree students in higher educational institutions for the 2017–2018 academic year.
²¹⁰ In some universities, 15–18 applications were submitted per seat in 2017. adB. 2017. data obtained during CGaU preparation.
²¹¹ decree of the president #3183 (9 august 2017). On Organization of Special Correspondence Departments on Pedagogical areas in Higher Educational Institutions. http://prezident.uz/ru/lists/view?id=876. the system of correspondence studies implies distance learning opportunities based on interim assignments within a set of educational disciplines, submitted between semesters. at the end of each semester, there are daytime sessions (up to 2 weeks) for concise teacher- guided overview of main subjects, followed by exams that the students must take in person. Correspondence studies train students who combine school with work, sports or other activities, but also those who prefer it because of the lower cost.
²¹² as stated by I. Madjidov, the deputy minister of Higher and Special Secondary education of Uzbekistan, correspondence studies were broadly administered in Uzbekistan during the Soviet period and were suspended in 2004 due to the low quality of education. podrobno.uz Online edition. Uzbekistan plans to restore correspondence and evening education in universities. http://podrobno.uz/cat/obchestvo/uzbekistan-planiruet-vosstanovit-zaochnoe-i-vechernee-obuchenie-v- vuzakh/ 7 June 2017.
²¹³ United Nations development programme. 2016. Human Development Report 2016. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/ hdr_theme/country-notes/UZB.pdf.
²¹⁴ UN Committee on the elimination of discrimination against Women. 2015. 16^th session.16 February–6 March. http:// tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/download.aspx?symbolno=CedaW/C/UZB/CO/4&Lang=en
²¹⁵ Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights. 2013. Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review. Uzbekistan. 5 april. paras. 96–97. also: International Labour Organization. 2015. Third Party Monitoring of the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor during the Uzbekistan 2015 Cotton Harvest. Geneva.
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although gender balance in student enrollment varies by subsector, gender parity in primary and pre-school education has been preserved. Since 2009, the sex ratio of students in professional colleges is near gender parity.²¹⁶ table 9 shows the gender breakdown of enrollment in secondary general and secondary special education for the 2016–2017 academic year.