President Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticizes higher education institutions

On June 20, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a video conference with rectors from 36 universities to address issues in the engineering education system. Sherzod Asadov, the President's press secretary, reported on the meeting.

The President highlighted several problems in university activities:

• Technical university courses and specializations do not align with manufacturers' needs. For instance, 45 out of 76 bachelor's programs and 51 out of 73 master's programs at the State Technical University are not offered by leading foreign technical universities. Consequently, 60% of engineers do not work in their field of study.
• There is a demand for 4,000 engineers in the textile industry this year. However, only 86 students in Bukhara, 117 in Jizzakh, 56 in Surkhandarya, 126 in Fergana, and 153 in Tashkent are graduating from engineering programs in "light industrial construction."
• Local government heads (hokims) do not collaborate with university rectors to address the need for specialists in their regions.
• Courses such as "cost engineering," "benchmarking," and "reverse engineering" are not taught at any technical university.

The President also criticized the disconnect between many professors and practical experience. Notably, 40 percent of the 9,600 engineering professors have not received professional training in the last five years.

Teaching loads in some institutes are twice as heavy as those abroad. Additionally, 50% of the equipment in some universities' scientific laboratories is outdated, and there is a need for more laboratories and modern equipment.