Uzbekistan to send top rector candidates to Harvard for training

The New Uzbekistan University is training candidates for the positions of rector and vice-rector through its rectors’ school. This was announced on August 8 at an expanded meeting on the employment of university graduates chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Candidates for the position of rector who achieve the best results during their studies will be sent to Harvard University for advanced training.

Rectors will also be granted greater independence in many areas. All universities will become organizationally and academically autonomous. Under the new rules, a rector will appoint his or her own vice-rectors, a decision that currently requires approval from the ministry.

Each rector will present and defend an annual program before the university council. They will also be responsible for assigning professors, teachers, and administrative staff within approved funding and staffing limits. In addition, rectors will have the authority to set differentiated amounts for so-called “super” contracts.

The president stressed the need for a new system that expands the powers and increases the responsibility of rectors. The evaluation model used at the New Uzbekistan University will now be introduced across all universities. Funding will be allocated based on points earned.

Universities will be awarded 40 points for graduate employment, 30 points for the number of industry orders for scientific research and product sales, 20 points for scientific output and publications in recognized international journals, and up to 10 points for securing local and foreign research grants. For example, if Karshi Technical University earns 85 percent of the total points, it will receive a 20 percent funding bonus to the 78 billion soums allocated from this year’s budget. Universities scoring below 56 percent will face reduced funding in the next academic year.

It was also noted that research universities such as the National University of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, as well as social universities such as the State Institute of Culture and Arts and the State Conservatory, cannot be assessed using the same criteria as technical universities. Authorities were instructed to take this into account when developing rating criteria.