Context
This initiative responds to Uzbekistan’s national priorities around widening access to quality education, including through TNE development, elevating Uzbekistan universities’ global standing, internationalisation and greater integration into the global education community.
UK TNE opportunities in Uzbekistan have grown substantially in recent years and the country is now the 10th largest host nation for TNE provision in Asia with a total of 8,080 students studying on UK taught programmes in the year 2020–2021 – an increase of 32.2% on the previous year and a 52% increase at undergraduate level over five years.
Between 2018 and 2022, twenty three international higher education institutions established campuses in Uzbekistan. As a result, Uzbekistan now has the third largest number of international branch campuses globally, behind China and the UAE: International Higher Education – Uzbekistan Ranks Third Globally as Host of International Branch Campuses.
The proposed initiative is the outcome of discussions at the Uzbekistan-UK Education Forums held in 2023 and 2024 run in partnership between the British Council, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Westminster International University in Tashkent and the University of Westminster, UK, alongside discussions with TNEs working in Uzbekistan and other interested parties.
Objectives of the network
- To provide networking opportunities for TNE providers working in Uzbekistan
- To provide opportunities for the sharing of good practice across the network in areas including organisational issues around TNE, QA, student experience, employability, sustainability development, research etc.
- To identify and address/find solutions to technical barriers or challenges for TNE development
- To focus on social mission of universities (inclusion: disability, girls’/women’s empowerment, low-income family support)
- To establish and maintain a knowledge sharing platform to support and inform more scalable and sustainable TNE
- To develop ‘joined up thinking’ strategies to ensure that all stakeholders collaborate with the aim of delivering the best education possible
Key principles
- Mutuality: We learn from those we interact with and they learn from us.
- Creativity: We encourage people to develop new ideas in an environment of trust.
- Inclusion: We encourage participation so that everyone feels valued, heard, respected and involved, we aim to support trust between people in different countries and across the organisations.
- Decisions to be taken based on clear understanding of needs and engagement with key stakeholders.
Governance
The network will be governed by a Board which will meet quarterly and will be made up of one representative of each TNE provider working in Uzbekistan and one representative of their validation partner. The Board will appoint a Chair and Deputy Chair from their number. The Board may choose to appoint a steering committee made up of the Chair and Deputy Chair and three further members elected from their number to deal with day-to-day matters. The British Council will co-chair the group to ensure continuity and access to TNE and HE networks and stakeholders in the UK and internationally.
Terms of Reference of the Board
- To provide strategic direction, oversight and governance to ensure the network achieves its objectives of promoting and sharing best practices within the sector
- To develop and review the strategic plan for the network, ensuring alignment with the overarching goals of the member organisations
- To identify key priorities and initiatives that advance the network’s mission
- To establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the network’s effectiveness and impact
- To ensure the network is inclusive and actively engage all TNE providers who are members of the network