Sector Assistance Program Evaluation on Education in Uzbekistan

Gender balance in the education system.
Girls benefit from equality in pursuing 
education as stated in the government policy. This is also in line with the legacy of education 
during the pre-independence regime. The present policy and practices of the government have 
further reinforced this. In many schools, in fact, girl students outnumber boys. This is especially 
true for basic education (grades 1–9). Likewise, female teachers often outnumber male 
teachers.
26. 
Despite these outstanding accomplishments (Table 2), gender differentials have begun 
to appear in secondary education. Under the 1997 NPPT, many senior secondary schools are 
now stand-alone and separately located schools for grades 10–12, as opposed to the earlier 
practice where senior classes (up to grade 11) were within the basic school building. As a result 
of this separation, some girl students or their families do not find it convenient to go to a distant 
senior secondary school, which affects their decision to continue schooling. Since a higher 
proportion of senior secondary schools focuses on vocational and technical education, female 
students do not always find it attractive to join these courses. All of this further discourages girl 
students to pursue senior secondary schooling.
27. 
The fact that fewer girl students attend senior secondary schools reduces girl enrolment 
in higher education. More importantly, entry examination for higher (post-grade 12) education 
gives premium to students who have participated in, or performed defense (military) services. 
This preference works against gender equality in higher education. The cumulative effect of 
these factors is lower enrollment of girls in higher education. Table 2 shows the decrease in the 
ratio of girls to boys at the tertiary level. 
Table 2: Ratio of Girls to Boys in Education Levels 
of Developing Member Countries in Central and West Asia