This topic was addressed during a presentation on the higher education system to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. 

Education is a dynamic process that continuously evolves and undergoes transformation. To accelerate reforms in this regard, a project office “Center for Projects in Education” was established by the decree of the Head of State on February 2 this year. Over time, the office and ministries have developed measures and initiatives to organize the educational process on new principles and increase the potential of personnel and the quality of educational services to international standards.

During the presentation held on May 6, proposals for optimization of higher education courses, and improvement of admission and qualification systems were deliberated. Today, Uzbek universities provide 306 bachelor's degree and 625 master's degree programs. However, some of these programs fail to meet international standards and the requirements of the modern labor market. This creates certain difficulties in developing full-fledged qualifications among graduates and their employment.

In this regard, proposals were made to review bachelor's and master's degree programs and to introduce new programs in areas with higher demand, drawing on the international classification of education and best practices from abroad.

The issue of optimizing dean’s offices and other administrative structures through digitalizing the educational process in higher educational institutions was also considered. Instructions were given to completely review educational processes and implement a new system by 1 September.

The next important issue is to further ensure fairness of admission to universities and provide access to state grants to the most capable applicants. The current system of admission and quota distribution cannot be called fully competitive. Even if some applicants have high scores, their admission may not be guaranteed due to the limited quota of the university they applied to.

According to the new procedure, an applicant with a high score in a particular field will be recommended for a state grant regardless of the chosen university. This ensures that high-scoring individuals will have the opportunity to pursue their studies.

Another point to consider: rather than awarding the state grant to a single student for four years, it will now be redistributed each year among high-achieving students.

The head of state emphasized the need for a fair organization of this system and delivery of information to youth and parents about it.

There are also many pressing issues regarding qualification requirements. Some criteria in our country do not align entirely with international standards and employers' expectations. Out of approximately 8,000 existing professions, qualification standards have yet to be developed for over 5,000 of them, and those that exist are often vague and of subpar quality.

In addition, certification has not been introduced in qualification assessment centers. The processes and documentation of the national qualifications system are not digitalized.
In this regard, it was decided to create an Institute for the Development of the National Qualifications System and, together with employers, develop the necessary qualification requirements.

“This is a problem directly impacting the employment of the population. Therefore, it is necessary to develop laws in this area, define the responsibility of ministries and agencies, and strengthen control over their implementation,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.