Government of Uzbekistan and development partners commit to education reforms in 2023-2026

TASHKENT, 5 April 2023 – Today, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, jointly with GPE, UNICEF and national and international partners, presented the Partnership Compact for education reform 2023-26.

The National Partnership Compact, a critical vehicle for Uzbekistan’s drive to reform education in Uzbekistan and ensure equitable access to transformative quality education. This document defines clear measurable priorities with results and targets by 2026 for preschool and school education reform, in line with the 2026 Development Strategy.

Development Partners undersigned their commitment to support the operationalization of the Compact, including through mobilization of over $580 million to be invested in education support in the next three years.

“The development of the National Compact process is the logical and essential step to ensure the operationalization of this reform agenda, working together with our Development Partners. The development of a National Compact for the education sector is expected to strengthen not only coordination between various stakeholders involved in education sector, but also to enable the scaling-up of most effective solutions”, said Khilola Umarova, Minister of Preschool and School Education.

Currently, an additional 620,000 preschool places would be required to reach 80% enrolment for children aged 3 to 6 years, and about 1.2 million school places are needed in public education by 2026. 

"I would like to congratulate the Ministry of Pre-School and School Education of Uzbekistan on its leadership and commitment during the development of the partnership compact. The compact is the result of a highly inclusive process, including more than 150 partners. The endorsement of the partnership compact marks a significant step towards transforming the education system for all girls and boys in Uzbekistan”, said Laura Frigenti, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The education reform agenda comes against a background of a lack of coordination between the partner organizations. Now, the Compact convenes 54 partner organizations in the country’s education sector and provides a clear roadmap to operationalize the reform agenda. Key tenets of the compact include ethics, integrity, anti-corruption, human rights inclusion, and equity focus.

“Quality human capital is the bedrock of a nation's growth, and Uzbekistan, along with development partners, must continue prioritizing investments in education to translate existing demographic opportunity into dividend. The Compact Development Process has highlighted critical steps in that direction," said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative in Uzbekistan. "To achieve this, high-capital investments in expanding and upgrading preschool and school infrastructure and improving access to quality inclusive education are equally essential”, he added.

Responding to the President designation of 2023 as the year of social care and quality education, the current launch of the Compact represents not the end of a planning process but rather the beginning of a journey for achieving larger education results. Effective collaboration between Government and development partners contributes to the improvement of a child-centered and equity-driven education system.

For media queries, please contact: 

Dilfuza Sobirova, Press Secretary, Ministry of Preschool and School Education

Phone: +998 99 898 18 39

Tamara Kummer, GPE Head of Communications

Phone: +33 7 82 26 07 18

E-mail: [email protected]

Nargiza Egamberdieva, Communication Officer, UNICEF Uzbekistan

Phone: +998 71 233 95 12

E-mail: [email protected]