A worker of the school and university licensing department of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation has been arrested while receiving $100,000, the State Security Service (SSS) said.
Reportedly, he demanded the money from an official of a private university based in Karshi city. In exchange for the money, he promised to promptly issue a license to open a university branch in the Surkhandarya province.
During an operational operation conducted by officers of the office for the SSS’s Kashkadarya province branch in Tashkent city, the suspect was caught red-handed while receiving the demanded sum.
A criminal case has been opened against him under Fraud committed on an especially large scale charge. The suspect has been remanded in custody, with investigation ongoing.
University Licensing
In July 2024, Minister of Higher Education Kongratbay Sharipov announced that licensing of private universities in Uzbekistan had been suspended (the last license was issued in October 2023, and then, by verbal order, license issuing was stopped) due to educational quality not meeting required standards.
Economy blogger Bekhzod Khoshimov noted that the state should not interfere in the work of private universities beyond ensuring safety. In his opinion, the quality of education can and should be assessed by students and their parents themselves.
In July 2025, the government issued resolution tightening regulations for private universities: a minimum authorized capital of $2 million, a $350,000 deposit, and mandatory reinvestment of profits. The resolution was signed the day before a moratorium on new business obligations came into effect. The economist warns that this will limit competition.
