World Bank Supports Improvement of Higher Education in Uzbekistan

AKIPRESS.COM - On April 11, 2017, the World Bank and the Government of Uzbekistan signed a US$50 million Credit Agreement for the Modernizing Higher Education Project that will support the country in strengthening the management of its higher education system and improving its quality and relevance to the labor market, reports the World Bank.

The Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education (MHSSE) will be responsible for the implementation of the Project, with technical support from the World Bank for the period 2017 to 2022. The Project will benefit not only students, teaching staff, and administrators of higher education institutions, but also the staff of educational government agencies. Employers and industries in Uzbekistan will benefit from research programs that are more relevant and collaborative, as well as from future higher education graduates who will be better prepared with the appropriate skills and knowledge expected of employees.

"In recent employer surveys, more than half of all employers cite the lack of adequately skilled workers as a key constraint to doing business in Uzbekistan. The Project signed today will strengthen higher education institutions in their ability to produce skilled graduates and to conduct quality, relevant research to further fuel economic development in Uzbekistan," said Hideki Mori, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan.

To strengthen the Government's management of the country's higher education system, the Project will finance the implementation of a higher education information management system to support policy analysis and the development of a quality assurance function consistent with good international practices.At selected higher education institutions, the Project will also finance the...