With support from GPE, the government of Uzbekistan is working to bring down the barriers that prevent access to quality early learning. Thanks to these efforts, more children are receiving early education and are better prepared for primary school.
COVID-19 response
In late March 2020, the UNICEF office in Uzbekistan received a GPE grant of US$70,000 to support the Ministry of Education with a rapid household survey on education sector interventions and requirements. The funds were also used to develop and implement a distance learning program.
Education in Uzbekistan
The education system in Uzbekistan is currently managed by two ministries: Ministry of Preschool and School Education and Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education.
The education is the sector with the highest government expenditures, 20.5 percent of public expenditures and 4.9 percent of the national GDP, according to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics. This is considerably more than other countries in the Central Asia region and elsewhere with a similar income level.
The Ministry of Preschool and School Education adopted the second education sector plan (2019-2023). The plan was developed with the participation of the different divisions of the MoPE, MoPSE, other line ministries (Finances, Economy, Health, and Employment and Labor Relations), as well as the State Inspection for the Quality of Education, State Statistics Committee and international development partners.
The 2019-23 ESP has an overall vision that reflects the recent reforms introduced by the Government of Uzbekistan and is consistent with the it’s national development strategy 2017-2021.
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Latest grant
Development objective:
Increase access to early childhood education, improve the quality of learning environments in project-supported public preschools, and enable a systematic measurement of education quality for informed decision-making.
Allocation:
US$10,000,000
Years:
2019-2024
Grant agent:
WB
Utilization:
US$3,986,467
Uzbekistan received a Multiplier grant of US$10 million which is mobilized alongside almost US$60 million in additional co-financing from the International Development Association and the Global Partnership for Results-based Approaches.
The program financed by a GPE grant aims at increasing access to early childhood education, improving the quality of education in project-supported public preschools, and enabling a systematic measurement of education quality for informed decision-making. It consists of 5 components:
- Improving quality of preschool education
- Increasing access to quality early learning environments
- Partnering with the private sector through a social impact bond
- Establishing an education quality measurement system
- Supporting project management
The strategies and targets proposed for the variable part reinforce the Government of Uzbekistan’s priorities to equitably expand access to pre-school education, develop and institutionalize a system for measuring school readiness (child development outcomes in pre-school), and promote the more efficient use of existing infrastructure resources in the context of rapid access expansion.
Considered together, and within the broader context of the sub-sector, implementation of the three proposed strategies are likely to result in significant positive changes in pre-school education in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan also received a grant for the conduct of an Education Sector Analysis and development of the Education Sector Plan (ESP) for 2019-2023 period (US$ 250 000; UNICEF – GA).
In addition, in 2019 a pilot funding was granted to the MOPE to support the education sector coordination (US$ 50 000 – UNICEF as GA). A joint sector review was conducted with this financial support in 2021.
Grants
All amounts are in US dollars.
| Grant type | Years | Allocations | Utilization | Grant agent | |
| Multiplier | 2019-2024 | 10,000,000 | 3,986,467 | WB | Progress report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program implementation | 2014-2019 | 49,338,583 | 49,338,583 | WB | Completion report |
| Sector plan development | 2017-2018 | 349,596 | 349,596 | WB | |
| 2018 | 150,000 | 150,000 | UNICEF | ||
| 2012-2013 | 250,000 | 250,000 | UNICEF | ||
| System capacity | 2022 | 184,500 | 0 | UNICEF | |
| Program development | 2023 | 200,000 | 0 | IsDB | |
| 2017-2019 | 199,898 | 199,898 | WB | ||
| 2013-2014 | 236,372 | 236,425 | WB | ||
| Total | 60,908,949 | 54,510,969 |
Data last updated: May 26, 2023
Last updated February 27, 2023