In partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovation of Uzbekistan and the UK’s Advance HE and Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the British Council is involved in two crucial elements of the development of higher education in Uzbekistan.
University Governance
The University Governance strand of Going Global Partnerships aims to establish the basis for the creation of a University Code of Governance for Uzbekistan, contributing to systemic and sustainable development.
The first phase will be part of a three- to five-year strategic vision to provide both national and local capacity and capability building to deliver effective academic governance, an essential ingredient for a successful higher education sector.
Objectives of the first phase (2023–24)
- Work with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (MHESI) and other stakeholders to explore and identify key dimensions of a university code of governance.
- Establish a national quality assurance (QA) working group under MHESI.
- Review current governance practices and unpack the value and benefits of good governance in universities.
- Share good international practice and develop capacity and capabilities to develop and implement the code and associated documents.
- Develop a plan to create, implement and embed a university code of governance through our capacity development Change Academy programme, run in partnership with MHESI and Advance HE.
Objectives of the second phase (2024–25)
- Engagement with MHESI and other stakeholders to test generic aspects and principles of the Code of Governance to understand readiness and appetite for implementation.
- Collaboration with MHESI to reflect on the development of the regulatory framework to understand the context in which a Code of Governance would be implemented and test readiness to change, as well as outlining barriers and opportunities.
- Implementation of the agreed framework for the development of the Code of Governance.
- Development and delivery of a revised model of a Change Academy that supports the development of programmes and tools that help embed the practice of autonomous working within institutions.
- Develop communities of practice for governors and governance professionals ahead of the Code being implemented.
Objectives of the third phase (2025–26)
- Offer ongoing support and consultancy to the MHESI and HEIs, as well as the newly established National Quality Assurance Agency for Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan around various aspects of higher education reform, regulatory environment and university governance.
- Support further development of the University Governance Working Group under the MHESI.
- Review a draft University Governance Code and respond to the feedback from the MHESI and legal advisors, supporting the Ministry’s strategy.
- Develop new approaches to strengthen the Governance Change Academy Network (G-CAN) to ensure continued peer learning and sharing good practice to support the development of good governance and establish the conditions for implementation of a national University Code of Governance.
- Develop and pilot a new induction programme for university governors/board members and board secretaries.
- Support the creation of a new, senior role in universities – Secretary to the Board.
- Develop a timetable/framework for implementation supported by further support programmes to build capacity and capability to implement a future code of governance within a regulatory framework.
- Produce a report on implementation of the project.
- This work will be carried out in accordance with the KPIs and impact indicators within the framework of the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme in 2025–26.
Quality Standards for Higher Education
The Quality Standards for Higher Education strand of Going Global Partnerships will establish the basis for the creation of a Quality Code for Higher Education in Uzbekistan.
This first phase will be part of a three- to five-year strategic vision. The aim is to provide both national and local capacity and set up systems for capability building. These will enable effective academic governance, an essential ingredient for a successful higher education sector.
Objectives of the first phase were as follows (2023–24)
- Establish a national Quality Assurance (QA) working group under MHESI.
- Offer initial training and ongoing support to the QA group to meet its objectives.
- Conduct gap analyses of the existing quality assurance standards in Uzbekistan against international standards to inform the development of an internal/institutional and external national quality code.
- Develop a framework for a national quality code development; the Quality Code for Higher Education will become a key reference point and an overall framework for standards of higher education delivery in Uzbekistan.
- Support the development of a guide/ministry order for internal quality audit.
Objectives of the second phase (2025–26)
- A better understanding about the regulatory framework, the role of the newly established National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and MHESI to inform a further iteration of the Uzbekistan’s Quality Code.
- Engagement of all stakeholders in the next phase of work, including university staff, the regulator and the Ministry.
- Creation of a learning environment for multiple stakeholders, which provides the space and time for the significant transformation needed to build capability and capacity and Communities of Practice.
- Collaboration between legal entities, the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan and MHESI.
- Development of a sustainable approach to the whole system of quality assurance which fits with the national priorities including academic governance based on quality and standards and a responsible approach to student experience and education standards.